


Two Halves Make A Whole Ghost

by SoTellMeAboutYourself



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Daddy Issues, Dark Past, Depression, F/M, Fanart, Ghosts, Music, Mysterious Past, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Secret Identity, Shadows - Freeform, Singing, Songfic, Supernatural Elements, light - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-04-18 14:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 74,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14215590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoTellMeAboutYourself/pseuds/SoTellMeAboutYourself
Summary: Amity Park is a town teeming with ghosts. And it's about to gain another one or at least half of one. Sasha Lucas is a half ghost half human who moved to town with her mom. After meeting Danny the two team up to help save the town from ghosts, happy to find that they're not alone in this crazy world.





	1. Welcome to Casper High

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own anything. Danny Phantom belongs to Nick. Enjoy and be sure to leave me a review.

          Sasha Lucas followed Mr. Lancer and Jazz Fenton as they showed her around Casper High. Well, it was more so Jazz showed her around, Mr. Lancer was more interested in the fact that it was the Spirit Week. He was currently jumping in the air cheering to his heart's delight.

          "Casper! High! Spirit!" The older man ended up falling to the floor, causing Sasha to clasp a hand over her mouth to hide her laughter. "Ahh, Spirit Week. I love it so much. The pomp, the circumstance, and mostly the spirit sparklers!" He pulled out a picture from his pocket and showed it to the girls. It was a photo of him cheerleading when he was younger. "Jasmine, Sasha, did you know I was a cheerleader when I went to school here?"

          "Really? Weird. No clue," Jazz replied obviously having figured that out.

          "Yeah, it's not like the jumping around shouting 'Spirit' gave that away or anything," Sasha muttered sarcastically. Jazz smirked at Sasha's statement as they continued down the hallway.

          "Hey, I know you're new to Amity Park and everything but would you mind if I asked you to do something for me?" she asked Sasha.

          "Depends on what that is," Sasha replied cautiously.

          "Well, it's about my brother, Danny," Jazz began. Sasha remembered the boy Jazz was talking about. He was in pretty much all of her classes and always hung around a goth girl and a tech geek who tried to flirt with her the first time they interacted. "He's been acting strange lately. I'd talk to him but I'm his older sister and he's just going to think I'm being bossy. I'm hoping that perhaps a new friend would be able to help him through whatever he's going through at the moment."

          "That's a lot to ask for the new kid," Sasha responded.

          "I know, it's just… I'm worried that if he doesn't talk to somebody all that frustration he's repressing could come out the wrong way," Jazz continued.

          "And this is the guidance councilor's office," Mr. Lancer told Sasha, finally getting back to the tour that he and Jazz were giving to her. Mr. Lancer opened the door only for them to find Danny standing in the middle of a destroyed office.

          Sasha felt uncomfortable about the scolding that Danny was about to get from Mr. Lancer so much so that she began to back away from the room. "I'm going to go check on my mom," she said awkwardly before hurrying away. She ran through the halls all the way to the nurse's station. Sasha opened the door and swiftly closed it, happy to be away from that situation.

          "Feeling alright?" her mother asked as she tidied up the nurse's station, putting medical supplies where she liked. They recently just moved to Amity Park because her mom managed to snag a job as Casper High's school's nurse. Apparently, the old one got fired for using meat as an ice pack for bruises.

          "Yeah, it's… it's just been a weird day," Sasha answered.

* * *

          The rest of the day at school was interesting. There were rumors going around about a giant wasp that attacked the school while Sasha was checking up with her mom for the second time that day. Sasha was glad she avoided it while her mother was happy that no one had to be sent to her because of allergic reactions. Both of them were thankful when the day ended so that they could go home and relax.

          Or at least that's what Sasha thought would happen. Turns out her mother had different plans. "Why do we have to introduce ourselves to the neighbors instead of taking time to relax for a minute?" Sasha asked as the two made their way next door.

          "Sasha, we're going to have to introduce ourselves at some point so we might as well do it now. Besides, maybe they'll be nice," her mom told her as they walked up to their neighbor's door.

          "Yeah, I'm sure the people with a giant sign on their house are going to be great," Sasha muttered sarcastically.

          Her mom shot her a look before she rang the doorbell. They waited for a few seconds before the door opened and revealed a couple in orange and blue jumpsuits. Sasha couldn't help but give her mom an I–told-you-so look. Her mom was the first one to speak.

          "Hi, my name is Zoe Lucas and this is my daughter Sasha. We're your new neighbors and decided to stop by and say hello," she said to them.

          "We have neighbors?" the man in the orange jumpsuit wondered.

          "Jack, don't be rude," the woman in the blue jumpsuit scolded. She pulled down her hood to reveal her short orange hair and violet eyes. "It's nice to meet the both of you. I'm Maddie Fenton and that's my husband Jack. Why don't you two come in? I'll make some tea and we can get to know each other."

          Before either her mom or Sasha had time to respond Mr. Fenton got behind them and pushed them into the house. "Kids! Come down and meet the new neighbors!" he shouted. Both Sasha and her mom found themselves on the Fenton's couch and with cups of tea in their hands. Sasha was about to take a sip of her tea when two familiar faces walked into the room.

          "Sasha?" Jazz asked, both her and Danny confused as to why the new girl was in their living room.

          "Jazz? Danny?" Sasha looked at them surprised.

          "Kids, I want you to meet our new neighbors, Zoe and Sasha Lucas," Mrs. Fenton told her kids.

          "We've already met," Sasha informed them. "Jazz showed me around Casper High and Danny… I'm pretty much in all of the same classes as him." Sasha saw Danny relax when she told his parents that she knew him from class instead of bringing up that he destroyed the guidance councilor's office.

          "So Zoe, are you or Sasha interested in ghosts at all?" Mr. Fenton asked.

          Sasha and her mother shot each other a cautious look. Her mother responded while Sasha sipped her tea. "Well, I dabble in the paranormal world a bit in my off time. I used to be into engineering before switching into nursing. And Sasha's been pulled into some of my experiments as a result," her mother answered.

          Mr. and Mrs. Fenton jumped on Sasha's mom in a heartbeat firing question after question at her. They even started to question Sasha about some things, making her extremely uncomfortable. "Hey! People my age! Help me out please!" she pleaded to Jazz and Danny.

          "How about we show Sasha around the house while the adults chat?" Jazz offered.

          "Yes! Please! Thank you!" Sasha replied, pushing herself off the couch and away from Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. Jazz and Danny lead her into the kitchen so that she could have a moment to catch her breath.

          "Sorry about them," Jazz apologized.

          "So your mom is a ghost hunting fanatic too?" Danny asked, shifting a bit uncomfortable.

          "No, I wouldn't call her a fanatic. Ghosts are just something she was pushed into. The ghost gear she creates is more out of defensive purposes. She's not a hunter or anything," Sasha explained.

          "And what about you? Are you a ghost hunter, Sasha?" Danny asked.

          "What? Me? A ghost hunter? No, I'm just a teenager. Teenagers don't hunt ghosts. I mean, I'll stop them if I can. Mom gave me a containment unit encase I ever encountered one. Better safe than sorry, am I right?" Sasha rambled. Danny and Jazz gave her strange looks which in turn caused Sasha to look away from them shyly. "I don't like talking about it. Whenever ghosts get brought up in my life I'm instantly known as the freak."

          "Yeah, I hear ya," Danny replied sympathetically.

          "So, we promised you a tour of the house," Jazz piped in.

          Sasha chuckled. "This appears to be becoming a thing with you and me. Alright then, lead the way."

* * *

          "So how has your day been going so far?" her mom asked as Sasha sat down on an examination table. It was currently in between classes so Sasha decided to check up with her mom.

          "It's been good. Danny introduced me to his friends at lunch. They even invited me to hang out at Elmer's Pharmacy after school," Sasha answered.

          "A pharmacy?" her mom questioned.

          "They sell ice cream. It's like, what did they call them in your day, a soda shop?" Sasha smirked, poking fun a bit.

          "Ha, ha. I'm not that old Missy. But that's nice. Sounds like you're finally making friends," her mom smiled. "That's nice, you deserve something normal."

          "Yeah, things are starting to look up. I just hope it stays that way," Sasha agreed. At that moment the fire alarm went off and a few seconds after the sprinklers activated, soaking Sasha and her mother. "Looks like I spoke too soon."

          Sasha and her mom evacuated the building with all the other students and faculty. She tried to look for Danny, Sam, and Tucker but the crowd was a bit much and she wasn't able to see them until they were back in class. It was around free period that Sasha was heading to check on her mom again when she saw Danny, in a Spirit Baby outfit, being forced down the halls by Dash and the other football players.

          Feeling bad for her new friend, Sasha grabbed Danny's arm when he got close to the nurse's station and pulled him inside. She cracked the door open and watched as Dash and the footballers ran around wondering where Danny went and let out a sigh of relief when they ran down another hallway to look for him.

          "Thanks for that. They've been harassing me ever since the guidance counselor put me in this stupid outfit," Danny said to her.

          "Sounds like a crappy guidance counselor," Sasha commented and took the large hat off Danny's head.

          "Where did you pull me into anyway?" Danny asked.

          "Sasha, you don't need to check up on me every… Oh, hello Danny," her mom said when she spotted the two in the nurse's station.

          "Hi, Ms. Lucas," Danny replied deflated.

          "Hey, mom, do you have any scrubs?" Sasha asked taking Danny's spirit sash.

          "Hm… I think I might. I typically have a few sets just in case a student is so sick they ruin their clothes. I'm guessing you're looking for pants," her mom responded and opened one of her supply drawers. She ended up pulling out a pair of typical blue scrub pants.

          "Yeah," Sasha answered as her mom handed Danny the pair of pants.

          "Wow, scrubs? You're way better than the last nurse," Danny commented and went to change out of the stupid diaper he was wearing in the nurse's station bathroom.

          "So why is he wearing a diaper?" Sasha's mom asked her.

          "Apparently the guidance counselor forced him to do it," Sasha relayed.

          "That sounds like a terrible guidance counselor. Who would hire someone who purposely embarrasses the kids?" her mom wondered.

          "You're forgetting that the last nurse used raw meat as an ice pack," Sasha reminded her.

          The sound of a door opening stopped their conversation. They turned around and saw Danny emerge from the bathroom wearing the scrub pants. "Thanks for the pants, Ms. Lucas," he said walking back over to the two.

          "You're welcome, Danny," Sasha's mom replied.

          "Thanks again for saving my butt back there, Sasha. Now I can go get my clothes with some dignity," Danny thanked.

          "No problem, that's what friends are for," Sasha smiled.

          "You still coming to Elmer's Pharmacy?" he asked.

          "Yeah, but I think I'll have to meet you guys there. These damp clothes have been bothering me so I think a change of clothes are in order," Sasha told him.

          "Okay, I'll see you there," Danny said and waved goodbye as he went to go and retrieve his clothes.

* * *

          Sasha ran home after school to go change, saying goodbye to her mom who stuck around at school to do some inventory and tidy up a bit. It took some time to get home and Sasha was worried that they'd be done by the time she got there so she hurried into a change of clothes. She headed out the door only to see Danny sulking home.

          "Hey, are you okay? I thought I was meeting you and the others for ice cream?" Sasha asked him confused.

          "Huh? Oh, sorry. Tucker and Sam might be there still but… something came up and I had to go," Danny told her. His temperament told her otherwise.

          "Um… do you wanna come in? You look like you could use some comfort food and an unbiased ear to rant to," Sasha offered.

          Danny hesitated at first and then nodded. Sasha gave him a small sympathetic smile before leading Danny into her house. As the headed into the kitchen Danny noticed that there were still a few boxes lying around that needed to be put away. He took a seat on a barstool next to the kitchen counter and watched as Sasha went to work. The both of them remained quiet while Sasha worked, something Danny appreciated. When she was finished Sasha placed down two mugs of hot chocolate with an 8-bit heart cookie hanging off the side of the mug.

          "Hot chocolate?" Danny questioned.

          "Sorry, I just assumed. I find hot drinks comforting no matter what season. I can make you tea if that's what you'd prefer," Sasha explained.

          "No, no, hot chocolate is good," Danny assured her and took a sip. He was surprised to find a bit of cinnamon mixed in. That was different. Danny had to agree with her though, hot drinks were soothing. "So you bake?" He asked, turning his attention to the cookie.

          "Yeah, it's something I like to do when I get stressed. There's something relaxing about making something. And I get to eat the end product so that's a plus," Sasha replied with a small laugh and took a sip of hot chocolate herself. "So, you wanna talk about it? Whatever it might be?"

          Danny sighed and leaned against the counter. "It's just… I feel like the universe is against me or something. First, it was that shrink, who just seems to make me miserable, then it was being blamed for setting off the fire alarm, then that stupid spirit baby costume I was forced to wear, and then… uh! On top of that Jazz thinks I'm a loser and at this point, I'm beginning to believe her. I just keep screwing up everything." He placed his head on the counter at the end of his rant, tired from everything.

          "Wow, um… wasn't expecting that," Sasha commented.

          "I don't know what I'm gonna do," Danny said.

          "You keep going," she told him. Danny perked his head up, surprised that she was giving him advice. "Right now is merely a low point that will pass. I was in your position about a year ago and I thought that everything I did wasn't good enough, that I wasn't good enough. It got bad and I fell into a depression. My mom was so worried. But I faced some demons and keep going. So just hang in there. After all, we're just teenagers; it's our job to screw up now and then. This period will pass."

          "That's… actually some pretty good advice. Thanks, Sasha," Danny smiled slightly

          "No problem. And hey, if you need someone to talk to feel free to come over. Be warned though, I might use you as a guinea pig for some of my baking creations," Sasha replied jokingly.

          Danny laughed in response, feeling the best he's felt all week. "I think I might just risk that." His eyes widened when he finally took a bite of the 8-bit heart cookie. "Okay, I'm definitely risking it." The two of them laughed. They enjoyed their drinks and talked until Danny had to head home.

* * *

          Sasha dropped some things off at her locker. Her talked with Danny the day before went well but his mood went back to depressed when they got back to school. The whole school seemed depressed actually. Ironic seeing as it was spirit week. Closing her locker Sasha set out to find Danny and his friends before the assembly started. When she found them it appeared that they were having a serious conversation.

          "Only one way to find out," Sasha heard Sam say.

          "Find out what?" she asked, entering into the conversation. The trio slightly jumped, surprised by her sudden appearance.

          "Uh, hey Sasha," Tucker stuttered, trying to recover from her sudden appearance.

          "Have you seen the shrink yet?" Sam asked.

          "No why?" Sasha asked.

          "We think everyone who has a session with Spectra ends up miserable," Danny told her. Sasha tensed hearing the name as a worried expression filled her eyes. "Sasha? Is something wrong?"

          "Spectra? As in Penelope Spectra? As in the woman with red hair and a weird little guy assistant?" Sasha asked, trying to keep her calm.

          "Yeah, that's her," Tucker confirmed.

          "Shit," Sasha muttered before addressing the others. "You guys need to stay away from her. Those two are dangerous. Crap, I need to go warn my mom." She ran away without telling them anything else, booking it towards the nurse's office.

          She had a theory and if her theory was correct then Jazz was in danger. Reaching the nurse's office flung the door open before slamming it shut.

          "Sasha Marie Lucas! What have I told you about slamming doors!" her mom chastised her daughter as she stepped into the waiting area of the nurse's station.

          "Mom, we have an emergency here! Turns out Spectra is the school guidance counselor," Sasha informed her.

          "Spectra? That ghost who was pretending to be the guidance counselor at your old school?" her mom asked, becoming worried at the mention of Spectra. "But I thought we sent her back to the ghost zone?"

          "The Fenton's have a ghost portal. She probably got out that way," Sasha said, remembering when Jazz and Danny showed her their basement full of ghost hunting equipment. "I think she might be going after Jazz Fenton."

          "I'll get supplies in case something happens," her mom said and ran to collect some medical supplies.

          "And I'll get Spectra," Sasha said.

          A bright light encircled her waist and as the light separated her appearance changed dramatically. Her flats turned into black boots, her jeans into white leggings, her top into a black sleeveless dress and white crop top. Black, fingerless gloves appeared on her hands. Her hair transformed into a silvery blue white and her eyes changed into a glowing violet. Once the transformation was done Sasha reached into her pocket and pulled out a small cylinder. She hooked it onto her silver cuff bracelet and then flew off to the guidance office.

          Arriving at the room Sasha discovered that it was empty which caused her to panic a bit. She looked down at her bracelet and hit a small button on the side. A blinking light appeared on her bracelet before the word UP appeared. Becoming intangible Sasha flew up onto the roof to see a green wolf trying to recover from being thrown up there. Her eyes narrowed, recognizing the ghost.

          "Why that little…" Bertrand went to curse before spotting Sasha. "You!"

          "Here boy," Sasha said sinisterly before blasting him with a white ghost ray.

          Bertrand yipped when he got hit. Before he could get up and attack her back Sasha used her ghost energy to activate the containment unit on her wrist, sucking him in. She couldn't help but smirk once Bertrand was captured. But she still had a bigger ghost to find. Looking over the side of the roof Sasha was surprised to see Spectra grabbing hold of another ghost. He looked to be physically around her age and there was something familiar about him that she couldn't place.

          "Let go of me!" the male ghost cried out.

          "Why would I do that? Your doubt, your misery, it's delicious. And the best part is, as soon as that silly speech is over, and that last domino falls and the sparklers vaporize the speaker, we'll leave you here to take the blame. And by the time I'm done with you, you'll be sure it was all your fault!" Spectra told him, dragging him up to a window to show him the dominos falling in the gym.

          "Man, I am so tired of you dumping on me. And I am so tired of dumping on myself. Jazz never did that, even when I was mad at her. And I won't let her down!" the ghost said, throwing Spectra off him. "It's time to take some good advice and face some demons." It was his last sentence that made things click in Sasha's mind. She was shocked that the ghost boy was actually Danny Fenton. Sasha had to shake that from her mind at the moment though. Spectra was still a big issue, she'd have to talk to Danny about him being a ghost later.

          "Bertrand! Sic him!" Spectra ordered.

          "Sorry, I took your little assistant out of the picture," Sasha said, dropping down into the fray.

          "Shadow," Spectra growled at her.

          "Spectra," Sasha shot back.

          "What's going on?" Danny asked confused. "Another ghost?"

          "We'll talk later. Just go save Jazz, I'll handle Spectra," Sasha told him. Remembering that his sister was in danger Danny took off inside the gym. Sasha and Spectra glared at each other.

          "Ruining my plans once again," Spectra growled at her, sending blast after blast at her.

          "Maybe you should've just stayed in the Ghost Zone where you belong. Wouldn't have been disappointed," Sasha replied, firing her own shots.

          "I haven't lost yet! And I'm not going to let a freak like you stop me!" Spectra exclaimed.

          Sasha resisted flinching at the word freak but managed to get hit from one of Spectra's blasts, sending her into a tree. When she recovered Sasha noticed that Spectra was gone but Sasha knew where she must have gone. Going intangible Sasha flew into the school, flying into the back room off the stage. She saw that Jazz was knocked down and looked into another room to see that Spectra pinned Danny against a wall.

          "Look at you. What are you? A ghost trying to fit in with humans? Or some creepy little boy with creepy little powers?" Spectra asked, seizing his head.

          "Both! Uh… neither! I don't know!" Danny replied.

          "You're a freak! Not a ghost, not a boy! Who cares for a thing like you?" Spectra continued, absorbing the misery she created from Danny. Danny in question fell to the ground, disoriented.

          "Hey! Stay away from my friend!" Sasha shouted. Reaching out her hand, Sasha summoned a mass of black shadow and grabbed Spectra with it. With Spectra bound and not able to move she activated her containment unit and aimed it at Spectra. A beam shot out from the small cylinder, encircling Spectra and dragging her into the unit, the ghost screaming the whole way. Once she was captured Sasha walked over to Danny and helped him up to his feet.

          "She used the same lines on me the last time I encountered her. You okay?" she asked.

          "Yeah, um. Do I know you?" Danny asked confused as to why she was being so friendly to him.

          "Yeah. But perhaps now isn't a good time." Sasha said and then noticed Jazz walk into the room. She noticed that Jazz was surprised to see her but didn't bat an eyelash seeing Danny. Did she know about her brother? "Uh, you should probably get back to that Spirit Assembly," she told Jazz before turning back to Danny. "And we should get going.

          Grabbing Danny's hand she turned them both invisible as she led them behind the bleachers in the gym. With both of them hidden, Sasha transformed back to normal, shocking Danny.

          "Sasha?!" Danny choked out in surprise.

          "Shhh, not now," she told Danny and motioned to the bleachers that had the whole school sitting on them. Danny nodded, understanding and then transformed back to his human form. The two of them searched the bleachers for Sam and Tucker before joining them, a bit tired from the fight. They smiled however when Jazz made her appearance and the whole school started chanting her name, pumped up now that Spectra was gone.

          "Hey, she's okay!" Tucker observed.

          "Looks like someone saved the day," Sam nudged Danny, signaling to Sasha that Tucker and Sam knew about Danny's ghost powers.

          "Yeah, and I had a little help from a new friend," Danny said and smiled at Sasha. Tucker and Sam looked at her confused. Decided that she could trust them since Danny did she blinked, changing her blue eyes to her glowing violet eyes for a second before turning them back. The two of them gaped at her in surprise and went to ask her questions but she stopped them.

          "Later, let's just enjoy the happy moment," she told them and turned back to watch the Spirit Week assembly. Questions could come later. Sasha and Danny sat there, happy to find that there was someone else out there who was like them.

* * *


	2. Answering Questions

          "So you're half ghost as well?" Sam asked as her, Tucker, and Danny sat down at Sasha's kitchen counter. She decided to invite the three of them back to her house after the Spirit Assembly in order to talk. After all, it appeared the three of them had plenty of questions for her.

          "Yep, have been for a while now," Sasha answered, placing a plate of 8-bit cookies on the counter. "I'm just shocked I met someone else like me. I thought I was the only one."

          "Same," Danny commented and took a cookie to munch on. "You shoulda seen her. She took out Spectra by summoning shadows. You gotta teach me how to do that."

          "Sorry, Danny, but that's my ghost specialty," Sasha answered.

          "Ghost specialty?" Tucker questioned.

          "Yeah. It's something special to that ghost, like how mine is light and shadows," Sasha explained and then caused the kitchen lights to flicker on and off to show them an example. "You'll discover your specialty once you've gained more control over your ghost powers." A looked of disappointment crossed Danny's face causing Sasha to give him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure I can teach you some other ghost moves though."

          He perked up hearing this. "So you encountered Spectra at your last school?" Sam asked wanting to get back on topic.

          "Yeah, I was a pretty easy target with the school knowing me as the freak already. She got me into a really deep depression. Took a lot to defeat her the first time but luckily my mom came in and helped when I really needed it," Sasha answered.

          "Wait your mom knows?!" Danny gasped shocked.

          "I know what?" Ms. Lucas asked as she walked into the kitchen, having just gotten home from the school.

          "Uh…" Tucker and Sam stalled, not knowing what to say.

          "My ghost powers," Sasha clarified.

          "Oh, that? Yeah, who else would I be inventing ghost gadgets for? Plus I come in very handy when this one gets beat up after a battle," Ms. Lucas said referring to her daughter before turning to the others. "So I'm guessing these three know as well now. Danny, I need to ask you to keep this information from your parents seeing as they're… very enthusiastic about catching ghosts. I don't want my daughter getting hurt."

          "That won't be a problem, Ms. Lucas," Danny assured her.

          "Danny's half ghost like me," Sasha told her mother excited.

          Ms. Lucas's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked shocked.

          "Yeah. I… kinda had an accident with their ghost portal before the start of the school year and ended up becoming half ghost," Danny explained sheepishly.

          "Oh," Ms. Lucas replied, sounding a bit surprised. "Well, feel free to come to me for anything, Danny. Like I said, I've been supplying Sasha with gear along with patching her up after fights. I wouldn't mind doing the same for you."

          "Thank you, Ms. Lucas," Danny replied with a smile, happy that he had another person on his side, and this time it was an adult.

          Sasha's mom then turned to Sam and Tucker. "You two aren't half ghost as well are you?" she asked.

          "No ma'am, just two humans who got dragged into all this ghost business," Tucker answered.

          "Welcome to the club," Ms. Lucas muttered to them and grabbed a cookie before heading out of the room. "Well, I'll let you four get back to talking. It's nice to know that Sasha has some great friends."

          "Wow, your mom is pretty cool," Sam commented.

          "Yeah, she is," Sasha agreed.

          "Sweet, we have a medic on our team now," Tucker cheered.

          "Team?" Sasha asked confused.

          "Yeah. Danny, Sam, me and now you and your mom. We're Amity Park's ghost hunting team," Tucker told her.

          "Really? You want me to join the team?" Sasha asked touched.

          "Yeah, I mean… if you want to that is," Danny replied.

          A huge smiled spread across Sasha's face. "Of course I'll join the team," she said.

          "Awesome!" Tucker cheered. "Welcome to Team… Team… you know we really should think of a name."

          "Team Phantom Shadow?" Sasha suggested.

          "Phantom Shadow… I like it," Sam mulled over and then smirked.

          "Team Phantom Shadow it is then. Welcome to the team, Sasha," Danny smiled. The four of them lifted up a cookie and cheered to their new team, happy to have more people on their side.


	3. Guard Dog and Gray

          Sasha walked through the halls of Casper High having just out of the only class she didn't have with Danny, Sam, and Tucker. It sucked not having her friends in all her classes but she could live without them for at least one. She lived without friends for much longer than fifty minutes. Sasha was calmly walking to meet up with her friends after school when a familiar face sprinted past her.

          "Danny?" she questioned confused.

          She got an explanation as Dash Baxter, who Sasha learned was the star quarterback on the football team and overall jerk was chasing her friend with a crumbled-up test paper in his hand.

          "That's it, Fenton, run. Or I'm taking this D I got on our spelling test out of your hid," Dash shouted at Danny.

          "Oh, this isn't good," Sasha muttered to herself before sprinting down the hall after them.

          When she turned the corner however she saw that Kwan, a football player who tried not to be as much of a jerk as Dash, began chasing after Danny as well. Hiding in an alcove Sasha waited until Danny was close to grab hold of him and get them out of the chase using her ghost powers. The two of them ended up in that parking lot, far away from Dash and Kwan.

          "Man, that was close," Danny breathed. "Thanks for getting me out of there, Sasha."

          "Hey, what are friends for," Sasha replied.

          The small calm moment was interrupted when Sasha's bracelet started to vibrate along with Danny's breath to show, signaling that a ghost was near. The two teens got into defensive position as they looked around for the ghost they sensed. They were pretty confused, yet pleased, to find that the culprit was nothing but a small ghost pup.

          "Ahhh. He's so cute," Sasha cooed.

          "Now this we can handle," Danny said confidently.

          The pup shut them up at that moment, growing into a much larger version of himself, growling at the two teens.

          "Or not," Danny muttered. Danny and Sasha quickly changed into their ghost forms.

          "It's okay, we can take this pup," Sasha assured him. But before either of them had time to react the ghost dog grabbed Danny by the ankle and began dragging him away. "Or he's going to take you. Didn't see that coming."

          She tried to follow after them as the ghost dog dragged Danny all across Amity Park but managed to lose them at one point. Not wanting to give up Sasha continued her search and didn't locate Danny and the dog until she spotted them phase out of Axion Lab. This time it was Danny holding onto the dog by his collar but the ghost dog still had control. Seeing her chance Sasha fired a plasma beam at the dog, causing it to be thrown back onto the lawn. Danny groaned, having let go of the collar and was thrown into the bushes. Taking aim, Sasha shot a beam from her containment unit, capturing the ghost dog and stopping it from reeking more havoc on the town.

          "You okay?" Sasha asked as she helped Danny up from the bushes.

          "Yeah, I guess," Danny said disappointed in himself.

          "What happened?" Sasha asked curious as to why the ghost dog dragged her friend all the way to Axion Lab.

          "The dog totally went in and wrecked the place. I tried to stop him but he's much stronger than he looked," Danny explained.

          "Well we better get him back into the Ghost Zone," Sasha replied.

          Danny nodded in agreement as the two of them headed back to her house to send him back. Her ghost portal was much smaller than his, her mother purposely made it small enough that they could shove ghost back into the Ghost Zone and that they wouldn't be able to get out. Besides, the Fentons didn't have the setup which would fit her containment unit. It was set up for the thermos, not something as small as her unit. Plus, there wasn't a chance of being bombarded with questions at her house.

* * *

          Sasha, Danny, Sam, and Tucker were strolling down the sidewalk when they came upon Valerie Gray's house with a huge yard sale sign sitting in the front and a moving van in the driveway. Valerie Gray, Sasha remembered her from school. She was amongst the popular crowd and wouldn't buy anything unless it had two zeros at the end of a price tag, paying over $500 dollars for a shirt. Sasha was never able to wrap her head around it. $500 would pay for so much in her house, bills, groceries, repairs. Any clothes over $30 dollars was a luxury reserved only for birthdays and Christmas.

          "Woah, talk about rock bottom. They're selling everything they own in a yard sale," Sam commented.

          "I feel bad. If I could've stopped that ghost dog none of this would have happened," Danny admitted, feeling guilty.

          "She's having a hard week," Tucker observed before a smile appeared on his face. "Which means I can catch her on the rebound. Sweet!"

          "Really, Tucker?" Sasha asked unimpressed.

          He didn't listen. Instead, he walked up into the yard and right up to Valerie as she carried a box of clothes out of the house.

          "Hey, Val, I heard what happened," he said to her.

          "Oh great, word already oozed down to the bottom of the social grapevine," Valerie replied sarcastically.

          "Hey, come on. I know you're upset but he just wants to help," Danny said coming to Tucker's defense. "We all do."

          "I don't," Sam disagreed.

          "And I'm teetering," Sasha piped in.

          She didn't care much for Valerie in school and seeing how she treated people who were just trying to be nice and help didn't settle well with Sasha. A quote from Harry Potter came to her mind: "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." Valerie didn't treat people well when she was rich and now that she was down to Sasha's level she still treated people badly. The only thing that kept her from saying no was the fact that Valerie was now in Sasha's position with a single parent and not that great of an income. That at least she could relate to.

          "Well, most of us do, more than half," Tucker said, giving Valerie a smile.

          Still, Valerie didn't look impressed. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

          Danny and Sasha let out a gasp when their ghost sense, Danny's breath and Sasha's bracelet, went off. They shot each other a look before coming up with an excuse for the others.

          "I'm gonna have to pass too," Danny said.

          "Yeah, looks like I teetered to no," Sasha commented.

          The two of them ran off to transform. When they came back the two of them were surprised to find the ghost dog from the other day had popped up in Valerie's yard and trashed some of her stuff.

          "How'd you get out of the Ghost Zone?" Danny asked confused.

          The ghost dog growled at Danny but Sasha stepped in and started to scratch behind the dog's ear. He happily wagged his tail before shrinking back into a small pup.

          "Doesn't matter if it's a ghost dog or a regular one. All dogs like a good scratch," Sasha smiled.

          "Ghost dogs are a lot more entertaining than regular dogs though," Danny added.

          Valerie approached the both of them angry, the majority of it directed at Danny. "Whatever you are, get out of here. You and your stupid dog have done enough," she barked at him. Not sensing the anger in her voice the ghost dog grabbed Danny by the ankle once again and dragged him away, breaking more stuff in its wake. With Danny gone, Valerie turned to Sasha. "And you, I haven't seen you around here before."

          "Oh me? Just got here today," Sasha replied a bit nervous and then went and picked Valerie's dresser up out of the street before flying off, "Sorry about your stuff!" She hurriedly flew after Danny who managed to grab hold of the ghost pup. The two of them headed to Danny's house this time to deposit the dog straight into the ghost portal.

* * *

          It was lunch back at Amity high and Sasha sat with Danny, Sam, and Tucker. Sam and she were having a conversation about the possibility of vegan dessert recipes while Danny and Tucker scarfed down their food. They all paused their conversation however when they saw Valerie get shunned from her old table, forcing her to go sit somewhere else.

          "Woah, brutal," Tucker commented.

          "Did you see that? Valerie just got scorched by her friends," Danny said.

          "Maybe she needs better friends," Sam remarked.

          "My thoughts exactly," Tucker said and headed over to flirt with Valerie once again.

          "Does he ever quit?" Sasha asked Sam and Danny.

          "Not that we've seen," Danny answered.

          Tucker's flirting didn't go so well, especially since the ghost dog showed up once again, terrorizing the cafeteria. Students ran out of the building screaming while Sasha, Danny, and Sam just sat where they were.

          "You two aren't much of a dog catcher," she said.

          "Yeah, no kidding. Who let the dogs in?" Danny joked.

          It fell flat amongst the girls. "Wow, I'm just going to ignore that sad excuse of a joke and go stop Cujo from breaking anything else," Sasha said and hid under the table to go into her ghost form. Danny joined her as well and they went after big Cujo who had the lunch lady in his mouth.

          "Nice pooch, easy. That lady isn't edible," Sasha spoke softly, trying to calm the dog down.

          "And neither is anything she cooks," Danny added in.

          Seeing Danny Cujo dropped the lady - his tail wagging in joy - before tackling Danny out of the building, the two of them going intangible in order to pass through the wall. Sasha sighed and followed after them. She found them outside the school, tiny Cujo happily licking Danny's face.

          "He really seems to like you," Sasha smirked.

          "Great," Danny replied sarcastically.

          "I wonder how he keeps managing to get out of the ghost zone," Sasha said, kneeling down she began to scratch behind Cujo's ear, saving Danny from an on slot of dog kisses. The pup stopped and cuddled into her side, hoping for more scratches. "There must be something here that he wants."

          "What he really needs is training," Danny commented.

          "Well, looks like we know what we're doing tonight," Sasha replied.

* * *

          Sasha stood with Danny in the park, having brought a book on dog obedience she found in the library in order to help them. Cujo was joyfully running in between Sasha's legs, happy that he wasn't tossed back into the Ghost Zone.

          "I'm telling you this is one bad dog. No matter how many times we toss him into the Ghost Zone he digs his way out of the Fenton portal and comes back to us," Danny complained.

          "Well we are the only other ghosts in town," Sasha pointed out. "So, since he keeps coming back to us let's get to training him." She opened the book and quickly read over instructions on how to train a dog. "Stop," Sasha began to instruct Cujo. The pup stopped in his tracks and looked up at her. "Sit." Cujo did as she said, sitting down awaiting her next command.

          "That's weird, the dog's already trained," Danny observed. Hearing Danny talking about him Cujo tackled Danny to the ground causing him and Sasha to chuckle. "Sort of."

          The cute moment was interrupted however when a missile headed towards them. Danny grabbed hold of Cujo and he and Sasha jumped out of the way, causing the missile to hit the ground, creating a small crater. Danny set Cujo down and instructed him to stay before him and Sasha went off to find out who attacked them. Looking up they saw a female figure dressed in a red jumpsuit, holding a gun and riding a hoverboard. One of the rockets from her board activated and was sent straight towards them. Once again Danny and Sasha managed to dodge and began to fly away from the mysterious girl.

          It was clear watching her that this was her first time attempting any of this as she was having a hard time controlling her hoverboard, actually falling off at one point and had terrible aim when it came to throwing small saw blades.

          "Wow, nice aim. First day with the new weapons?" Danny mocked before one of the saw blades fell down and sliced his arm. "Ow, that hurt! Wait a minute… that hurt."

          "Oh, don't worry ghost kid, it won't hurt long. Because you are going down," the girl threatened.

          "Why are you doing this?" Sasha asked, wanting to escape this girl and get Danny to her mom so that she would patch up his cut.

          "Stay out of this ghost girl. This is between me, him, and that pesky dog of his," the girl said and took aim at Danny.

          Before the shot could hit, Cujo came to the rescue in his large form and dragged Danny to safety. The girl tried to follow after them, blasting at Danny and Cujo rapidly before flying straight into a tree. Sasha caught up with Danny just as he threw an ecto-ball off into the distance, having Cujo chase after it and removing the ghost dog from the situation.

          "Who is that?" Sasha wondered.

          "Don't know, don't care," Danny replied before seeing the girl had regained her composure and was after him again. "Oh man, she's coming. Sasha, hide, she's after me, not you."

          "No way am I letting her hunt you down," Sasha protested.

          Thinking quickly, she tackled Danny into a nearby bush, her on top of him. Covered by the bush she transformed back into her human form and seeing this Danny copied her. Hearing the girl get closer Sasha placed Danny's hands on her hips and placed her own on his shoulders. She got close enough to Danny's face that it would look like they were kissing.

          "No escaping me now ghost boy…" they heard the girl said. Sasha and Danny sat up, acting surprised that someone interrupted their 'make out'. "Ah gross, loser love! And here I thought you were gonna end up with the goth chick."

          The girl flew away, not wanting to see any more of their fake make-out session. Sasha placed her head on Danny's shoulder and sighed in relief, happy they got away from the girl.

          "Wait a minute… 'Losers'? 'Goth chick'? That sounded a bit like Valerie," Sasha observed, picking her head off Danny's shoulders. She looked at Danny to see what his reaction was to this only to find him staring at her, blush spread across his face. It was then she realized that his hands were still placed firmly on her hips. "Uh… Danny?"

          The boy blushed harder as he withdrew his hands and let out a cough to try and fill the awkward silence that was settling between the two of them. "Well… that was… interesting," Danny stuttered.

          "Sorry, it was the only thing I could think of to get her off our trail," Sasha apologized, realizing just now how uncomfortable Danny must have felt.

          "Well, hey, it worked," Danny laughed nervously, not knowing how to feel about their fake make-out session.

          "How's your arm?" Sasha asked.

          "It's alright," Danny replied, happy that she changed the conversation. The two of them looked at his arm where one of Valerie's saw blades got him. The cut was small and was bleeding a bit. While being part ghost meant that they were able to heal quicker than the avenge person it was still important for them to get patched up after a fight to prevent any possible infections. Having a nurse for a mom really instilled that in Sasha.

          "Let's go get my mom to patch you up," Sasha suggested.

          Danny nodded, happy to remember that Sasha's mom knew about their ghost hunting and was supportive, offering to patch him up. The two got up from the ground and walked back to Sasha's house, not wanting to go into their ghost forms and draw the attention of a vengeful, ghost hunting Valerie.

* * *

          "Wait, so you guys kissed?" Tucker asked Danny and Sasha the next day at school. They explained what happened the night before to Sam and Tucker which earned them surprised looks when they got to the fake make-out session part.

          "No, I just made it look like we were kissing," Sasha told him, turning her face to try and mask the blush forming on her cheeks.

          "But that's not the point. The point is that…" Danny began to saw before he was cut off as Tucker ran straight into Valerie.

          "Valerie!" Tucker smiled before shooing his friends off so that he could once again flirt with the girl.

          Sasha, Danny, and Sam glared at Tucker, upset with him still trying to get with her after finding out that she tried to kill Danny last night. The three of them left but stayed close to watch their interaction. Those glares didn't leave as Tucker brought up that Danny's parents were professional ghost hunters, getting Valerie's attention so much so that she pretended to flirt with him.

          "Great, my best friend has a crush on a ghost hunter," Danny frowned.

          "If he mentions anything about my mother I'm gonna kill him," Sasha said.

          "Wow, that's a bit harsh," Sam commented.

          "I don't care. My mom finally has a good job and I'm not gonna let her be ridiculed by the entire student body and facility just because Foley is thirsty for a girl who's clearly playing him," Sasha explained.

          "You sound pretty protective of your mom," Danny noticed.

          "How can't I be? I'm the only one she's got," Sasha replied.

* * *

          Danny, Sasha, and Sam tailed Tucker and Valerie to the basketball game happening that day. The three didn't care for the sport at all but went to make sure Tucker didn't reveal too much to Valerie. Both Danny and Sasha were tense, each thinking about different issues.

          "Guys, can you just relaxed?" Sam asked, noticing how serious her friends currently were.

          "I'll relax when I can question Tucker about what he's been telling Valerie," Sasha said, continuing to glare at the boy who remained oblivious.

          "And how can I relax? That stupid ghost dog could be anywhere and not to mention I have no idea how Valerie became a ghost hunter," Danny complained.

          At the mentioned of Valerie, she and Tucker decided to move closer to them. "Hey, guys, can we join you?" Tucker asked.

          "No," Danny and Sam said firmly.

          "Yes!" Sasha answered and pulled Tucker down into the spot next to her. She then leaned over to Danny and whispered in his ear. "I don't like it as much as you do but this way we can find out what he's been telling her."

          "So, Tucker tells me that your parents hunt ghosts," Valerie said to Danny straight out of the gate.

          "Did he now? What else did he tell you?" Danny asked, glaring at his best friend. Once again oblivious to his friend's angry with him Tucker simply smiled in response.

          "If you mentioned anything about my mother I'm gonna kill you," Sasha whispered in Tucker's ear threateningly, her eyes going violet for a moment. He gulped nervously and shook his head, meaning that he said nothing about Ms. Lucas.

          Before Valerie could ask any more questions, however, Cujo, in his big dog form, appeared on the basketball court and started to chase the players. Danny, Sasha, and Valerie were quick to get up from their seats and run somewhere else. The two half ghosts assuming that she was running to change into her own ghost hunting outfit. Having gone ghost Danny and Sasha followed Cujo behind the bleachers. Upon seeing them he instantly calmed down and changed into his small puppy form. He happily ran up to them and began to dig around.

          "You're looking for something?" Danny figured out from his motions.

          "I knew it," Sasha smiled.

          "Well, what are you looking for?" Danny asked the ghost dog.

          Cujo didn't react. Instead, he was thrown back as a pink light engulfed him, trapping him. Sasha and Danny turned around to see Valerie standing there in her red ghost hunting suit.

          "Say goodbye ghost boy," she said and went to open what looked to be a copy of the Fenton Thermos. She had trouble opening it, however. "Ah, come on you stupid thermos!"

          "That's awesome! Hey, Valerie, wait up!" Tucker called from on top of the bleachers before jumping down, right on top of Valerie.

          Danny quickly flew over and grabbed Valerie from underneath Tucker before tossing her in a basketball net, pinning her arms to her sides and stopping her from doing anything further. Sasha in the meantime flew over to Cujo and helped the dog out of the ghostly net. He happily licked her in response. Danny flew back down to where Sasha was.

          "We gotta do something about him tonight," she told him.

          "Like what?" Danny asked.

          "We gotta help him find whatever he's looking for. But for now…," Sasha explained and then pointed her capture unit at the dog. "I'm sorry, buddy, but they only way to keep you and everybody else safe is if you're in here." Cujo just happily wagged his tail as Sasha sucked him up into her containment unit.

* * *

          Danny and Sasha followed Cujo after they released him from Sasha's containment unit. They instructed him to fetch whatever it was he was looking for, leading him to take them straight back to Axion Lab. Cujo barked excitedly as they arrived.

          "The lab? What you're looking for is in there?" Danny asked. A nearby sound caused the teens to be on high alert.

          "Someone's coming," Sasha whispered.

          Danny picked up Cujo, putting a hand over his mouth to silence the dog, and the three of them hugged the wall, turning invisible so they wouldn't be spotted. Down the corridor came an older gentleman in a suit talking to Valerie's dad who was dressed in a security uniform.

          "I appreciate the second chance, sir," Mr. Gray said to the man.

          "As long as nothing else happens we'll see about reinstating your contract. I knew we should never have gotten rid of those guard dogs," the man in the suit replied as the two of them headed down another corridor.

          "Valerie's dad? Oh great," Danny said sarcastically.

          "Did he say something about getting rid of guard dogs?" Sasha asked, a bad feeling coming over her as she glanced at Cujo.

          Seeing as there was going to be a complication in tonight's search Danny called in the help of Sam and Tucker to watch over Cujo as him and Sasha went in search of whatever the dog could want from the lab. They both wished they knew what they were looking for when Danny was shot back. They looked over to see that Valerie was in the lab as well, dawning her red ghost hunting suit yet again.

          "Back at the scene of the crime?" she asked, not caring for an answer.

          The three of them began another battle, Danny and Sasha trying to fight off Valerie while she shot at them, her aim having not improved that much since the last time. Danny took towards more so avoiding the shots while Sasha fire back some blasts of her own.

          "Why can't you just leave this between me and him?!" Valerie shouted as she dodged one of Sasha's blasts.

          "Because he's my friend, and I protect those who are close to me," Sasha responded, sending another blast at the human girl this time hitting her and knocking her into a wall.

          Valerie growled as she got up. "Well then, looks like I'll have to destroy you as well," she threatened Sasha.

          The girl ran straight towards Sasha, intending to throw a punch to which Sasha simply went intangible, causing Valerie to go through her. As Valerie approached another wall Cujo, in his big dog form, phased through, barking angrily at Valerie. Danny was quick to flying in and save her from being attacked.

          "Let me go!" Valerie protested as Danny flew her away from the ghost dog.

          "Yeah, you're welcome," Danny replied annoyed.

          Valerie wiggled her way out of Danny's grip and dropped to the floor. She pulled out another of her guns and shot at Danny which ended up missing him and hitting the alarm button instead.

          "You and your stupid dog ruined everything. And now you're gonna pay… and every ghost like you," Valerie growled as she took aim at both Danny and Sasha. She sent a blast at them which sent both teens flying into the next room, even when they went intangible. They were surprised to find themselves in an old kennel.

          "An old kennel? This must be where they kept all the old guard dogs," Danny observed.

          Realization hit Sasha as she stared at all the old dog crates covered in cobwebs. The kennel… Cujo coming back to Axion Lab to find something… he was one of the lab's old guard dogs. That was only confirmed as Danny found a squeaky toy within some padding, looking much loved. It must have been what Cujo was searching for. As Danny left to stop Cujo from murdering Valerie Sasha stayed where she was. Tears formed in her eyes as she covered her mouth to silence the possible oncoming sobs. They didn't just get rid of the dogs, they killed them. Cujo's presence was more enough to confirm that. She didn't understand how the people at Axion could be so cruel. Sure, Sasha understood wanting to get rid of the guard dogs in favor of a high-tech security system. But what she didn't understand was having them put down as a result. Those dogs could have been sold to the police, after all, they were trained for that sort of work. Or they could have just been placed in a shelter for other people to adopt them. She'd seen how happy Cujo was when he wasn't in guard mode, surely it wouldn't be hard to adopt out a dog like him. After all the ghost dog managed to worm his way into both her and Danny's heart. Killing the guard dogs was just plain cruel. Sasha didn't even notice when Danny flew back into the kennel looking for her.

          "Sasha? Hey, are you okay?" Danny asked when he noticed tears running down her face.

          "They killed them, Danny. They killed them all off," Sasha replied.

          "What?" Danny asked confused.

          "The guard dogs. They didn't just get rid of them. They killed them," she explained, trying and failing to stop crying.

          Danny looked at her in shock, wondering how she knew that. "How can you tell?" he asked her.

          "Most ghosts have a story they carry with them after they die, how they look, how they act. Like, with Spectra I have a theory she died of surgery complications in trying to remain looking young. With Cujo, it's more obvious. He was one of the guard dogs here, and a pretty recent one too seeing as you found his favorite toy. They must have put him down. How else would he be able to come back as a ghost?" Sasha continued.

          "I guess I never thought about that," Danny admitted.

          "It's really only cases like this that affect me. Anything with animals or kids… they're always the saddest," she said, wiping her tears away.

          Seeing his friend in distress Danny pulled Sasha into his arms in attempts to console her. After what she told him though, part of the hug was for him as well. Ghosts had always been a part of his life thanks to his parents' obsession. They were just this thing to him. He never thought about them once being alive before and realizing that all the ghosts he fought were once actual living, breathing people was sombering. Sasha hugged him back and the two just stayed there for a moment, mourning the dog who inserted himself into their lives for the past couple days.

* * *

          The group sat at their lunch table, still discussing what happened the night before. Danny filled Sasha in on Cujo getting his squeaky toy back and then disappearing. He also told her about how he tried to fix things with Valerie in her ghost form only to be denied. Looks like she was angrier than ever with ghosts. Sam then proceeded to tell her that Tucker purposely trapped himself in a security net in order to take the fall for Valerie. Tucker piped up that luckily he got off with just a warning. Both Sasha and Danny decided not to tell Sam and Tucker what happened in the kennel. It was just too morbid. Plus, Sasha didn't want to get worked up again.

          "Gonna play it a little safer now that Valerie, the ghost slayer is around?" Sam asked both Danny and Sasha.

          "Yep," the both of them answered, glaring at Valerie as she passed by.

          "I just wish I knew where she got those weapons," Danny sighed.

          "Or that costume. A costume that stylin' had to cost something, you know," Tucker said dreamily.

          "Well, I don't know where she got the weapons but I think I know where she got some extra cash. Remember those concert tickets she sold on the internet?" Sam said.

          "You bought her tickets?" Sasha asked with a smile. Looks like some good would come from what happened with Valerie. The concern about where her ghost hunting equipment came from could wait. Right now they could look forward to the concert coming up. A nice break from all the craziness and moment to simply be ordinary teenagers.


	4. A Second Secret Identity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs featured in this chapter (in order of appearance):  
> "The Best Part" by Meghan Trainor  
> "Let Me Try" by Nathan Sharp (aka NateWantsToBattle)  
> "Black Magic" by Little Mix
> 
> I've differentiated live singing from recorded singing by making the recorded singing in italics.

          As Sam walked out of the Fenton house she headed straight towards Sasha's. Herself, Danny, and Tucker just spent three hours trying to map out the Ghost Zone and it went pretty well in Sam's opinion. The only few ghosts they encountered weren't much for Danny to take care of, the most aggressive being a ghost who just wanted a hug. Sure, she had to put up with Tucker's latest musical obsession but at least she got a new pair of earrings out of it, even if they were ghost gadgets. After all that though she needed some good old fashion hang out time with Sasha. Earlier on the trio was taken aback when Sasha refused to head into the Ghost Zone with them.

          "I put ghosts into the Ghost Zone, not myself," she told them, shifting nervously.

          "You're not the least bit curious?" Tucker asked.

          "Not in the slightest," Sasha replied and wished them luck before heading back inside her house.

          But now that the mapping finished for the day Sam decided that now would be a good time to catch up with her only female friend and complain about how annoying Tucker had been. Walking up to the front of the house Sam knocked and waited before Ms. Lucas opened the door.

          "Oh, hi Sam," Ms. Lucas greeted.

          "Hi, Ms. Lucas. Is it alright if Sasha and I could hang out?" she asked.

          "Sure, she's upstairs in her room," Ms. Lucas replied and ushered Sam into the house.

          Nodding a goodbye to Sasha's mom Sam ran up the stairs and made her way to Sasha's room. She was about to head right in but paused when she heard the strumming of a guitar and singing. Opening the door just slightly Sam peered in to see that the source was coming from Sasha who was currently sitting on her bed with a worn, acoustic guitar in her hand.

"I got a heart full of rhythm that beats with no pain  
I got a head full of melodies stuck in my brain  
But the best part of being a singer at all  
Is singing to the world my songs  
I said singing to the world, my songs."

          As Sasha finished Sam came bursting through the door, surprising Sasha and causing her to jump.

          "Sam?!" Sasha yelped surprised.

          "Woah, I didn't know you could sing… or play the guitar," Sam said to her.

          "It's not like I put it out there for people to find out," Sasha admitted. "Actually, I haven't really picked the hobby up since my old Community Center closed down."

          "Your old Community Center?" Sam asked.

          "Yeah, growing up my mom would drop me off at our old Community Center to go work a second job. We weren't exactly well off, hell we're still not well off, but back then it was really hard. The Community Center was our saving grace seeing at it was a safe place that had free activities and classes. That's where I learned how to bake and play the guitar," Sasha explained.

          "So why have you picked it back up now?" Sam continued to ask.

          "Well, after the Dumpty Humpty concert I had this itch to get back into music," Sasha admitted.

          "You're really good," Sam complemented. "Have you ever thought about going into the music business after school or something?"

          "It crossed my mind but with all this ghost business there's no chance that I could ever try. But at least it can still be a hobby," Sasha answered, looking down a bit dejected at her guitar.

          "Come on, you can't just give up like that. You have a real talent," Sam protested. "I can help if you want. We have a small recording studio in my house you can use and I'm sure I can wrangle up some connections in the music business."

          "I don't know, Sam. With all the attention stardom brings someone might find out about my ghost side and I don't want that to happen," Sasha sighed.

          "Just… think about it okay. The offer will still be there," Sam said.

          Finding that Sam wasn't letting up Sasha agreed to think about her offer. With that pushed to the side, for now, the girls sat in Sasha's bedroom, talking about what happened in the Ghost Zone, Sam mainly complaining about Tucker.

* * *

          The next day at school Sasha, Danny, and Sam were surprised to find the pretty much the entire class body was obsessed with the new musical sensation, Ember McClain. Even Tucker was into her, decked out in an Ember t-shirt while blasting her music onto his PDA. Sasha couldn't help but wince hearing it, the music not sounding pleasing to her at all.

          "I don't get it! This Ember McClain comes outta nowhere and suddenly she's the biggest thing since MP3s!" Danny complained. "It's so…"

          "Infuriating how mindless pre-packaged corporate bubble gum is preventing true musical artists from being heard?" Sam suggested, looking over at Sasha for the last portion of her sentence. Sasha simply looked away, not wanting to bring attention to her music hobby to anyone else. Instead, she just focused on heading to class with the others.

          "I was gonna say weird but, uh, okay," Danny accepted.

          "Ember's not just about music. She's an expression of my unique individuality," Tucker told them in a matter of fact way.

          His statement lost all credibility when the four turned the corner to see almost the entire student body decked out in Ember merchandise. Posters were pasted on the walls and some even on the lockers. Looking over at one of the posters Sasha saw that this Ember girl apparently had flaming, electric blue hair; a pale face; and way too much eye makeup in Sasha's opinion. Apparently, she was having a concert at Amity Park soon.

          "Oh yeah, you're one of a kind," Sasha commented sarcastically.

          As tried to make their way through the crowd Sam accidentally collided into Paulina who was dressed exactly like Ember was in the poster. The popular girl glared at Sam and looked her over for something to target. A small, nasty smirk appeared on her face when she noticed Sam's earrings.

          "Nice earrings. Sale at the 89 cent store?" Paulina mocked.

          "For your information, Paulina, they're a gift. Danny gave them to me," Sam countered, not letting Paulina get to her. Danny gave Paulina a small smile, hoping that she didn't read too much into it.

          "Really? He gave you earrings? And I thought you two were a thing after hearing about your little make-out session in the park," Paulina commented, looking at Sasha and Danny. "But whatever. Looks like there's still a loser couple in this school." With that last comment she walked away leaving Danny upset, Sam boiling mad, and Sasha blushing.

          "We're not losers!" Sam shouted at her.

          "We're not a couple!" Danny also shouted.

          Sasha didn't say anything while Tucker just chanted Ember over and over again. Right now she just wanted to get to class. Getting behind her friends she began pushing them to class, saving them from dealing with a "You're late" talk from Mr. Lancer.

          Once they got to class Mr. Lancer instructed all the student to put on a strange looking helmet that was placed on everyone's desk along with a keyboard and three computer screens. They were confused but did as he said.

          "As you know, the Northwestern Nine Standardized testing starts in two days, and because my bonus is proportional to your grades we have installed the CramTastic Mark Five," he explained, motioning to a device in the front of the classroom. "The latest in state-of-the-art subliminal study-aid technology. Let the learning begin!"

          As he finished Mr. Lancer pressed a red button on the device to activate it. Instead of actual studying material appearing on screen, Ember appeared and began to sing. Danny and Sam took their helmets off while Sasha ripped hers off, tossing it to the ground while she held her ears in pain having heard intense static. Everyone else in the class cheered. Seeing this lesson go up in flames Mr. Lancer quickly shut the device off before opening the disc drive to see an Ember DVD placed inside. Everyone was confused when the music started up again.

          "Foley! Turn off that blasted PDA!" Lancer shouted at Tucker.

          "It's not me! It's coming from outside," Tucker denied.

          Students rushed to the windows to see a truck with a soundstage parked right outside the school with EMBER plastered in purple lettering. Purple smoke appeared and out from it appeared the very person that the school had been obsessing over. Ember stood there with her guitar as her bandmates came out. The students ran outside, wild with excitement, including Tucker. Danny, Sam, and Sasha followed the entire student body out but remained at the entrance of the school to avoid the craziness.

          "Hello, Casper High!" Ember shouted, pumping up the crowd even more. "Tell me who you love!" The standing trio watched as everyone began chanting Ember's name. "That's it, babies! Say my name! Are you ready for a little youth revolution?!"

          The crowd cheered even louder as Danny, Sam, and Sasha watched Tucker crowd surf to the front of the stage. "We love you, Ember!" he shouted up at the music star. Still, the standing trio stood where they were looking unimpressed until Danny and Sasha's ghost senses went off. The two of them looked around surprised, trying to locate where the ghost could possibly be amongst the crowd of students. While they were doing that Mr. Lancer managed to make his way on top of a fire hydrant with a megaphone.

          "Attention, freakishly dressed teen idol! I order you to cease and desist!" Lancer ordered.

          "Desist this, grandpa!" Ember shouted back at him before strumming a cord on her guitar. A purple wave of music washed out over the crowd of students, causing them to turn to Mr. Lancer and glare at him with murder in their eyes.

          "Ember's the ghost?" Sasha asked shocked. Jumping into action her and Danny transformed into their ghost forms and flew towards the crowd. "We gotta save Lancer!"

          "Wow, this is bittersweet," Danny commented.

          Reaching their teacher just in time Danny and Sasha used their powers to turn Lancer intangible as the mob of students rushed at them, causing them to pass right through. With Lancer safe for the moment, the two half ghosts turned their attention to the ghostly musician.

          "Now to knock the pop princess off the…charts?" Danny said determined which turned into confusion as he and Sasha discovered that Ember and her whole truck managed to disappear.

* * *

          "Come on, Sasha, just come over and record something. Then we can release whatever song you decide to sing and maybe it will help stop this whole Ember thing," Sam begged Sasha after meeting up with her at school the next day. The girls managed to find a quiet place away from all the craziness, in the girl's bathroom, to talk once again about Sasha's musical prowess.

          "I doubt my singing will be able to stop a rock siren," Sasha replied unconvinced as she washed her hands.

          "You're not giving yourself enough credit," Sam said, hopping down from sitting on top of the sinks.

          "No, I'm being realistic. The best way to fight a ghost is with my powers, not my singing," Sasha insisted. She tossed away a paper towel before the two girls headed out of the bathroom and met up with Danny and an even more Emberfied Tucker.

          "Tucker, you're starting to scare me. And I fight ghosts," Danny commented.

          "It's an Ember thing, you wouldn't understand it," Tucker dismissed.

          "Uh, you do realize that she's an evil mind-controlling spirit from another dimension?" Sasha asked, hoping that he did.

          "Yeah, but Sam said the same thing about Paulina," Tucker pointed out like that would put an end to the issue at hand.

          Speaking of Paulina, the popular girl came running into the halls in excitement. "Hey, everyone! Ember's giving away free concert tickets at Bucky's Music Megastore!" she announced.

          A crowd of students rushed out of school, not even caring when Mr. Lancer threatened them with detention. Sasha, Sam, and Danny stopped Tucker from going with the crowd before pulling him into an empty classroom and locking themselves inside. Sasha went ghost to get some rope from the janitor for them to restrain their friend even more. The three of them tied Tucker to a chair and forced upon him the CramTastic Mark Five, this time playing the original program instead of the Ember DVD. With Tucker taken care of the three of them went to retrieve the Fenton thermos from Danny's locker.

          "I should have known she was a ghost the minute I heard her music. No wonder I hated it, I was listening to a ghostly wail," Sasha chastised herself.

          "I don't know how you'd be able to know," Sam said.

          "You guys forget that I've been doing this ghost thing for a long time. I've picked up the difference between a wailing ghost and a wailing guitar. Though I guess I'm dealing with both in this situation," Sasha explained.

          "But I still don't get why we're not affected by Ember's music," Danny wondered as he got the thermos.

          "Maybe because of your two's have ghost powers and my…" Sam started suggesting but didn't get to finish.

          "Individuality or intelligence?" Danny interrupted.

          "I was going to say 'utter disdain for anything popular' but okay," Sam accepted.

          "Really? Because I figured it was because of those earrings. Danny's parents did invent them, right? I'm sure they're blocking out her mind control powers or something along those lines," Sasha proposed.

          "Huh, I hadn't thought about that," Sam admitted, considering what Sasha said.

          "Whatever it is we better get moving," Danny said, ending the conversation. The girls nodded in agreement before Danny and Sasha transformed into their ghost forms and flew Sam out of the school and towards Bucky's Music Megastore. The three of them arrived to see Ember standing above a crowd of people chanting her name as she threw down concert tickets. The sight just aggravated Danny, Sam, and Sasha more.

          "Something tells me they're not gonna love seeing their idol sucked inside the Fenton Thermos," Danny commented.

          "I think I can distract them," Sam offered before running off towards a large cut out of Ember. Danny and Sasha watched as she scaled the cutout and graffitied it with glasses and a ridiculous mustache. And Sam was correct in saying that she could distract the crowd as it certainly drew theirs and Ember's attention. "Hey everybody! Look, it's Ember McLame!"

          Just as Ember turned the dial on her guitar and aiming her music at Sam, Danny and Sasha stepped in, firing energy rays at her. Sasha smirked when she saw Ember go flying backward.

          "Hey! Do you take request? How about 'Beat It'?" Danny sassed.

          "How about I lay down a few power chords instead, dipsticks!" Ember sassed back as she recovered from the blast.

          With the strum of her guitar Ember sent a lime green wave of music at Sasha and Danny. Danny was the one to get hit as he tried to open the Fenton Thermos, causing him to get knocked back as the Thermos was flung on top of the Ember cut out. Sasha went to hit Ember with another ghost ray but missed as the musical ghost disappeared with a strum of her guitar. After Danny recovered both he and Sasha flew up to the roof, finding that to be where Ember disappeared to.

          "Dipstick? Funny," Danny snarked before launching himself at Ember, trying to wrestle her down. Sasha hovered close by, trying to line up a shot with her containment unit for when Danny knocked her down once again. "Who writes your insults? The same hack who writes your songs?"

          From down below the crowd that was once inside the megastore now moved out into the street, hoping to get another glance at their idol while chanting away her name. Hearing their chanting Ember smiled a menacing smile as her flaming blue hair flared up. Danny gasped as his hold on Ember took a turn as she took control of their wrestling match, overpowering him.

          "The chanting makes her stronger," Sasha gasped as she figured out what was going on.

          "You got that right, baby. And the more kids chanting the stronger I get!" Ember responded and then flung Danny away from her, sending him right into the large cut out of Ember. The cut out fell from the force of impact causing the head and torso to hang off the side of the roof. Danny turned back only to be met with Ember floating in his face. "And if you think I'm strong now just wait until midnight! When my concert goes global. Then you'll all be my slaves!"

          A strum of her guitar and Danny was forced down in the crease of the cut out from a red wave. Sasha called out to him worried when she saw him hit the roof so hard that he transformed back into his human form. Seeing that Danny was in no position to continue with the fight Sasha went into offensive mode and attacked Ember with ray after ray of energy, which the ghost kept successfully dodging. Both, however, were distracted when Sam ran out of the rooftop entrance holding the Fenton Thermos. Seeing an opportunity Ember sent a wave at Sasha, knocking her back across the roof before turning to Sam who ran in front of Danny to try and protect him.

          "Aw, teen love! They say it never lasts but nothing distracts teenagers more than hormones," Ember mocked before turning the dial on her guitar. "And I need to keep you busy for the next eight hours. I have more than just music for you. Now that they're chanting my name my music can affect you! How about a love song!"

          Sasha recovered just as Ember sent a pink wave of her music at Sam and Danny. The music blast sent Sam flying onto the head of the fallen Ember cut out while Danny braced himself as he took the hit. With Ember distracted Sasha hit her with an energy ray to get the ghost away from her friends. She went to go hit Ember with another one but Ember said something that stopped her in her tracks.

          "You really want to bother with me when it's the new couple you should be worried about?" Ember asked.

          "New couple?" Sasha questioned confused. "What are you talking…" Looking towards where Danny and Sam were Sasha was shocked to see a dreamy-eyed Danny slowly approaching Sam who was still at the edge of the cutout. And with how Danny was moving he would cause the cut out to topple from his and Sam's weight which in turn would cause them fall to the ground below.

          "Danny, stop!" Sam begged.

          "But you're over there and I'm over here. I wanna be over there," Danny said, not realizing the consequences and began to move forward once again.

          Not bothering with Ember any longer Sasha hurriedly flew over to save her friends from falling to their deaths. Sam was quick to grab hold of Sasha's hand while Sasha had to grab hold of Danny herself. With Danny and Sam off the cut out tottered off the side of the building. Wanting to get away from the crowd of teens and the approaching SWAT vans coming up Sasha flew them out of there as quick as she could.

          "What happened back there?" Sasha questioned, looking down at Sam and a dreamy-eyed Danny.

          "We got hit by Ember's pink music and since then Danny's been staring at me with this… Wait… I know that look. That's the same, longing puppy-dog stare you gave Paulina!" Sam started explaining before recognizing the look Danny was still giving her.

          "Who's Paulina?" Danny asked.

          "That's a pleasant side-effect," Sam smirked.

          "So, you're telling me that not only do we have to deal with a mind-controlling Ember we have to deal with a magically love sick Danny? Great," Sasha worked out.

          "I think we're going to have to try out that idea we talked about earlier, Sasha. You might be the only person who can drown her out. But we're gonna want to drop Mr. Lovesick off first," Sam said.

          "No!" Danny whined, not liking the idea of being away from Sam.

          Sasha shifted, uncomfortable. She wasn't sure that her singing could stop Ember but even if it did there was still the attention she would get from doing so. And attention like that would surely lead to the reveal about her being half ghost. But saving people was a higher priority in this situation. "Alright. If there's a chance it'll block Ember's hypnotic music then I'll do it," she submitted.

* * *

          After Sasha and Sam dropped Danny off at his house (by literally tossing him through his bedroom window) they headed over to Sam's place. Once there Sam shoved Sasha into a recording booth with an electric guitar. She'd written a few pieces since the Dumpty Humpty concert but Sam told her to record one that was the loudest or catchiest to try and go against Ember. After recording Sasha began to edit the music, making sure that it would sound alright while Sam went off to make some calls.

          "If we're going to beat Ember than we're gonna need to break out some big guns," Sam explained to her before going off. As Sasha finished editing the music track Sam came back with a backpack and tossed it at Sasha. "Hopefully this will help with keeping your ghost side a secret."

          Opening the backpack Sasha was surprised to see a different outfit and a dark purple wig with light blue highlights. "Where on earth did you find this wig?" Sasha asked.

          "I know some people," Sam shrugged off. "You think of a superstar name?" Sasha paused and looked back down at the bag of clothes, her eyes landing on a galaxy skirt. Drawing on that for inspiration she thought of a name.

          "Nova Super," Sasha decided.

          "Great. Now we better get going. You're gonna need to get ready for your show and we're gonna need to pick up Danny before we head out," Sam said, checking the time.

          "Danny? Are you sure that's a good idea with the whole love spell he's under?" Sasha questioned as she finished downloading her track.

          "I'm hoping that I can snap him out of it so that he can take out Ember," Sam explained.

          "And if that doesn't work?" Sasha asked.

          "Then I'll step up and take her out, I still have the Fenton Thermos so it shouldn't be a problem," Sam answered.

          "Let's hope so," Sasha muttered and slung the backpack on.

          Finished in the recording studio Sasha picked up Sam and the two of them headed towards Danny's house. Bypassing the front door, the girls went straight to Danny's bedroom and with Sasha's powers phased through the wall into his room. The two of them sitting on his bed meditating to pictures of Sam. A large smile spread across Danny's face when he noticed her.

          "Sam! You snuck out to see me! Oh, this is just like Romeo and Juliet except I'm the one on the balcony and I can understand everything we're saying," Danny said excited.

          "It's not like I'm here either," Sasha mumbled. She hadn't had time to pay attention to it before but the way Danny didn't acknowledge anyone but Sam really bothered her. She hoped Ember's spell on him didn't last much longer.

          "Danny, listen, we have to stop Ember's concert before she takes over the world!" Sam told him.

          "That doesn't matter! Just as long as we have each other," Danny dismissed.

          "Snap out of it! You don't feel that way about me and I don't feel that way about you," Sam snapped at him.

          "Don't you?" Sasha asked, causing Sam to look over at her confused. "Ever since he got hit with Ember's love spell you've acted annoyed but you also seem to enjoy the attention. So, do you want to be in a relationship with him?"

          "I… I don't know. With all the lovebird comments going on recently and then this, I guess I've been pushed into believing that I'd want Danny and me to get together. But… I think I'm going to need some time to think it through to see if that's want I really want," Sam admitted. "Why do you like him?"

          Blush spread across Sasha's face. "It's too soon to tell if I do or not. After all, we just became friends not too long ago. And I guess I've kind of been in the same situation as you since the whole fake makeout session. Looks like we're both gonna need time to figure out our feelings," Sasha answered.

          Sam nodded and they both turned their attention back to Danny who paid no attention to their conversation and instead stared dreamily at Sam.

          "Looks like I'm gonna have to reprogram him like Tucker," Sam commented before realizing that they left their friend still tied up in the school. "Tucker! We have to go get him. Sasha, you head to the stadium and get ready. Sneak into the under part of the stage, I got some people there that will help. I suggest you get dressed before you do so."

          Sasha nodded in agreement and watched as Sam made Danny take her to the school. Alone in Danny's room, Sasha got changed, not knowing when else she'd been able to do so at the stadium. After getting everything on she looked in Danny's mirror. The outfit Sam picked out for her was more revealing that Sasha would have liked, being composed of a short galaxy skirt, a black belly shirt, and black heeled boots. Not forgetting the purple wig as well. But she certainly did look like a music star. Taking it another step further Sasha switched her eye color over to her ghost violet irises, hoping to strengthen the disguise. Not wasting any more time Sasha did as Sam suggested and flew over to the stadium, hoping that their plan was going to work.

* * *

          Standing on the mark the stagehands Sam hired told her to stand on Sasha fidgeted nervously with the electric guitar in her hands. It was an awkward introduction as Sasha had to remember to introduce herself as Nova Super. They explained to her that she was going to interrupt the concert at first by projecting her singing on the big screen behind Ember while cutting off Ember's audio and making Nova's play. Once she reached the chorus she would use that trap door and make her entrance. It was a lot to take in. Sasha hoped that Sam managed to get Danny back to normal in order to take out Ember. One of the stagehands motioned that she was going to be on soon as the first cords of Ember's song began. Taking a deep breath, Sasha readied herself and waited for her count in. Another motion from the stagehand and she began.

          The crowd was completely confused when Ember's audio got cut off and was replaced with another song. They looked around, trying to locate where it was coming from. Even Ember herself was searching for the one disrupting her concert. From off stage in the hands of Dash, Sam smirked, seeing her and Sasha's plan come together. As Sasha began to sing her face appeared on the big screen behind Ember.

"You and I, we both know well  
I couldn't do this by myself  
And every day it's all the same  
You picked me up when down I fell

But I'm still standing through and through  
I know exactly what to do  
I'll give it everything I got  
Although I'm not stronger than you

But I'll be your shield I can be your lion  
I'll dry your eyes if I see you cryin'  
Believe in me  
And I won't let you down"

          Reaching the chorus Sasha felt herself rising up to the stage and once she was fully up she was meet by a stadium full of people cheering… for her. No more cheering for Ember, just cheers for Sasha (or Nova) and her music. A large smile spread across her face seeing them cheering, seeing Danny back to normal from the corner of her eye, and seeing him fighting Ember offstage. The plan was working.

"But now we've come so far  
I know just who we are  
And we shine brighter than any gem  
Between us and the sun  
Now it's just you and me  
Like it was meant to be  
And I'll protect you I'll defend you  
If you let me try  
We'll stay together now and forever  
Just let me try

You and I yeah we both know  
We couldn't do this on our own  
You say you're fighting for my mother  
But won't see how much I've grown  
But I can't believe everything that I'm told  
I'll fight until the end while I'm young and when I'm old

But I'll be your shield I can be your lion  
I'll dry your eyes if I see you cryin'  
Believe in me  
And I won't let you down

But now we've come so far  
I know just who we are  
And we shine brighter than any gem  
Between us and the sun  
Now it's just you and me  
Like it was meant to be  
And I'll protect you I'll defend you  
If you let me try  
We'll stay together now and forever  
Just let me try"

          With the crowd cheering for Nova now Danny had no problem taking out Ember, sucking her right into the Fenton Thermos. Sam and Tucker cheered in celebration and Danny joined his friends in watching the mysterious new musician that managed to save everyone from Ember's spell.

"Stay with me  
Fight with me  
Victory's abound  
Now we've got this  
You can't stop us  
And I won't let you down  
I know you never asked to be made

But now we've come so far  
I know just who we are  
And we shine brighter than any gem  
Between us and the sun

But now we've come so far  
I know just who we are  
And we shine brighter than any gem  
Between us and the sun  
Now it's just you and me  
Like it was meant to be  
And I'll protect you I'll defend you  
If you let me try  
We'll stay together now and forever  
Just let me try"

          The crowd went wild with cheers and applause as Sasha finished with her song. The smile from before was still spread across her face was still present as she beamed with pride as adrenaline rushed through her. They liked her, they liked her music.

          "Thank you, Amity Park! I'm Nova Super and I hope you have a great night!" she shouted into the microphone, earning more cheers.

          Heading in the opposite direction that Danny, Sam, and Tucker were at. Sure, Sam knew about her music, she was the one who orchestrated the whole thing, but Danny and Tucker didn't know and Sasha wanted to keep it that way. Instead, she headed back down underneath the stage where the stagehands gave her high fives in congratulations. And soon enough Sam met her downstairs.

          "You were amazing!" she said hugging Sasha.

          "Thanks," Sasha replied.

          "So, I guess the whole Nova Super thing is going to be hard to make disappear since the concert was broadcasted across the world," Sam guessed, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

          "Actually… maybe we can make this music thing work. After being up on stage and hearing people cheer… they liked my music, Sam. I can't believe it. Plus, I did get some inspiration for a new song," Sasha admitted.

          A pleased smile appeared on Sam's face. "You're going to need a manager," Sam pointed out.

          "I think you would fit that title pretty well," Sasha smiled.

          "Alright, then tell me about this new song idea of yours," Sam smirked.

* * *

          Sasha was sifting through her books in her locker, listening as Tucker played the new Nova Super song on his PDA. She held a small smile on her face, happy that people were listening to her music.

" _Take a sip of my secret potion_  
One taste and you'll be mine  
It's a spell that can't be broken  
It'll keep you up all night  
Boy, you belong to me  
I got the recipe  
And it's called black magic"

          Nova Super had been the talk of the school ever since the concert. And after Sasha and Sam released two songs with the promise of Nova returning after writing a bit more everyone was excited to see more from the mysterious new artist.

          "A second secret identity, this is going to be interesting," Sasha thought to herself.

* * *


	5. I Hate Halloween

          Sasha floated close by and watched as Danny tried to defeat the ghost eel. Danny assured her that it would be an easy ghost to take care of and that he could accomplish it just fine. She couldn't help but roll her eyes and ushered for him to handle it. Ever since he managed to take down Technus in that video game him, Tucker, and Sam played he's gotten pretty cocky. So, she watched and waited for him to be humbled.

          "You're one slippery ghost eel, but I bet you don't know this trick!" Danny mocked the eel and sent a green ecto-blast at the ghost. Sasha smirked when the eel simply absorbed the blast. "Okay… maybe you do." Danny cried out as the ghost eel used the energy it absorbed and shot it back at him, sending Danny falling into the school.

          "I hoped you learned your lesson!" Sasha shouted down at Danny before turning back to the ghost. "Okay, time to take care of you."

          Summoning up some shadows she entrapped the eel in a carefully woven net. With the ghost not being able to escape Sasha took aim with her containment unit and sucked it inside. With the job done Sasha flew back down into the school, heading to a deserted hall in order to transform back into her human form. Back to blending in Sasha searched the hallways to find Danny, wanting to check in on him after being blasted by the eel. She managed to find him along with Tucker, Sam, and a paint-stained Dash.

          "This is great! I am going to totally kick his butt!" Danny said to Sam and Tucker excited.

          "What is he talking about?" Sasha asked.

          "Lancer busted Danny and Dash fighting and decided that they're gonna compete to see who makes the better haunted house," Sam explained.

          "Oh," Sasha grimaced.

          "You think so, Fen-tons-o-fun? How about a little side bet?" Dash dared.

          "Sure," Danny accepted. "If I win you have to run through the school parking lot in your underwear!"

          "Okay. And when you taste defeat you have to eat these!" Dash said and pulled out a pair of torn, dirty underwear. The four backed away in horror.

          "I don't know what's scarier. The underwear, or the fact he carries them around in his coat!" Tucker commented.

          "How is he the guy that practically every girl in school falls for?" Sasha questioned, disgusted.

* * *

          Team Phantom Shadow agreed to meet up in Danny's room after school to help in brainstorm ideas for his haunted house room. Sasha and Tucker sat there bored, Sasha more annoyed, as Danny presented them with idea after idea. So far, none of them were working.

          "How about this?" Danny asked before going into his ghost form and diving into his bed. Sasha and Tucker watched as Danny's bed sheet rose up, still unimpressed. "Wheee-oooo…"

          Sam walked into the room and passed Danny without a second glance. "Lame," she commented.

          "Oh man," Danny sighed as he transformed back into his human form, sitting down on his bed disheartened. "Halloween's a week away and I still don't have a clue what I'm gonna do for my haunted house room."

          "Which is why I picked this up at the old bookshop where I like to skulk and lurk," Sam told them, pulling out a book from her backpack and presenting it to her friends.

          "'Chronicles of the Fright Knight'?" Danny read.

          Sasha and Tucker gathered around Danny as he opened the book to read through it. "He's the age-old spirit of Halloween. Legend has it that if his sword, 'The Soul Shredder', cuts through you, you get teleported to a dimension where you live out your worst fear," Sam explained.

          A bad feeling developed in Sasha's gut as they looked through the book. When they came upon a map of the Fright Knight's Lair Danny paused and reached into his nightstand. What he pulled out was the map he was making of the Ghost Zone. He held his map up to the made in the book.

          "Look familiar?" Danny asked.

          "It matches the map we've been making of the Ghost Zone!" Tucker observed.

          "This is great! He's a ghost and he's the spirit of Halloween? That means I can take the best ideas from this guy and fuse them into my haunted house room!" Danny said excited.

          "No!" Sasha protested.

          "No? What do you mean no?" Sam questioned.

          "Don't you know how dangerous this is? God, things like this is why I hate Halloween," Sasha answered.

          "How can you hate Halloween?" Tucker asked confused.

          "In case you haven't noticed every day is Halloween when you're fighting ghosts. And it only gets worse on the actually holiday when people try and invoke more ghosts because they think it would be 'fun'. Well let me tell you, it's not fun. It makes my life a living nightmare. You trying to invoke the actually spirit of Halloween screams disaster," Sasha explained.

          "Come on, Sasha, you're blowing this out of proportion," Danny said.

          "And you're underestimating ghosts again. You did this with the ghost eel earlier today," Sasha fought back.

          "Would you suggest I do then?" Danny asked, getting a bit frustrated.

          "I don't know. Maybe try a play off the witches' scene from  _Macbeth_. Lancer curses in book titles so I'm sure that he's be impressed if you make a room around that. Just please don't do something with ghosts," Sasha suggested, becoming equally as frustrated.

          "I'm not gonna bet Dash with that! The only way I can win this is if I use the Fright Knight," Danny argued.

          "Fine, then count me out of it!" Sasha snapped and stood up, grabbing her backpack.

          "Where are you going?" Sam asked, worried about her friend.

          "To do some research for when I have to clean up his mess," Sasha answered, referring to Danny, and then stormed out of the room. Sam and Tucker shared a worried

* * *

 

          For the rest of the week Sasha and Danny tried their best to ignore each other. Sure, they still hung out with Sam and Tucker, which made it extremely uncomfortable for the two. For the most part, though it was pretty easy for them to ignore each other with Sasha being busy with research in the library while Danny was trying to build his room in the haunted house. Sam and Tucker split up at this time to make sure that their friends were okay, Sam going with Danny while Tucker went with Sasha. The two of them tried to poke and prod Sasha and Danny to apologize to each other but after multiple glares, they quieted down.

          When the week was up Tucker dragged Sasha to the place where Danny had been setting up his haunted room. She stood with him and Sam, her arms crossed unimpressed and annoyed, as Danny presented the room to them. The room was pretty much set up exactly like the Fright Knight's throne room as displayed in Sam's book but it definitely had that… homemade feeling towards it. Trying to show off the room even more Danny went ghost and overshadowed the Fright Knight model which was placed on the makeshift throne.

          "I AM THE FRIGHT KNIGHT! TREMBLE BEFORE THE SOUL SHREDDER!" Danny exclaimed in a gruff voice as he tried to embody the Fright Knight. Sasha's eyes hardened as she watched Danny waving around the 'Soul Shredder'. "It slices, it dices, it creates you worst fear! Now, how much would ya pay?"

          "For this thing?" Tucker questioned unimpressed. "About 59 cents. Now if you'll excuse me I'm a little late to start scamming some free candy." As Danny returned the Fright Knight doll to the throne Tucker pulled out his PDA. "Got my route planned out for OCP, Optimum Chocolate Payload. You want to stay clear of the red zone. Nothing but fresh fruit and granola bars in the red zone."

          "So where's your costume?" Sam asked.

          In response to Sam's question, he pulled out a pair of glasses with a big nose out of his pumpkin bag and put them on. "Wow, that's pretty pathetic, and that's coming from the poor girl who made costumes out of trash," Sasha commented.

          "But I thought you hated Halloween," Danny remarked snidely.

          "Believe it or not I did try to be normal before idiots decided to make my life harder by summoning up ghosts," Sasha snapped back.

          Backing out of the argument that was beginning to flare up Tucker headed towards the door only to be hit with green foam, causing him to get knocked backward. The source of the green foam entered the scene as Jack and Maddie came running in with a bazooka.

          "Haha! Look at that, baby! The Fenton Foamer works like a charm!" Jack celebrated.

          "I know! There was a ghost reading in this very room seconds ago, and now the room is clean!" Maddie gushed.

          "Speak for yourself," Tucker commented as foam dripped from his body. "If anybody needs me I'll be in a different doorway every 38 seconds."

          "Isn't he a little old to be walking around in public in a stupid costume?" Jack wondered out loud as Tucker left.

          "Mom? Dad? What are you doing?" Danny asked.

          "Decontaminating the area, son!" Maddie answered.

          "You know how ecto-storms always flare up around Halloween, Danny," Jack said.

          "Yeah, Danny, you should know this," Sasha smirked, happy that his parents were providing her right.

          Danny sent a glare at Sasha before turning back to his parents. "This is all riveting, and by riveting I mean dull with a capital 'D', but you guys need to leave before Lancer thinks you're helping me," Danny told them

          "Lancer? Hey, this isn't some sort of anti-detention project, is it?" Jack questioned his son.

          "No! No, no, no!" Danny denied while pushing his parents to the door. "Um, I'm just starting to get interested in ghosts, like my old man!"

          "Finally! If I didn't consider it a sign of weakness I'd weep with joy!" Jack smiled proudly, buying Danny's lie. With the Fenton's satisfied with Danny's answer they left to go protect the town from any ghosts.

          "Wow, three people telling you the dangers of ghosts on Halloween and yet you still chose to set this up. Really nice, Danny," Sasha commented.

          "What are you still doing here then, Sasha, if you're so opposed to everything?" Danny asked annoyed.

          "I didn't do all my research for nothing. I'm here for when the inevitable shit hits that fan and I must come to the rescue. But since I'm obviously not wanted I guess I'll just go wait in a different room," Sasha replied bitterly. She headed out the door and went next door to an untouched room.

* * *

          Sasha sat in a chair humming a melody that she had been working on, trying to pass time. Part of her felt bad about the whole thing, mainly regarding pulling Tucker and Sam along with her and Danny's fight, but also because she needed to be so against Danny. The Fright Knight was a good idea to create fear but she couldn't stand behind him on this, it was too dangerous. Sasha's thoughts were interrupted as the door to the room opened and Sam walked in.

          "There you are, I was looking for you," she said as she went to take a seat next to Sasha. "What are you doing in here."

          "Just working on a song for Nova," Sasha answered. There was a quiet moment between the two for a moment before Sasha spoke up again. "I'm sorry for dragging you and Tucker into this."

          "It's alright," Sam replied, fiddling with the Fright Knight book in her hand.

          "Still reading that?" Sasha asked.

          "Yeah, after what you told us about invoking the Fright Knight I thought it would be a good idea to read up on him incase things go bad. I want to support Danny because he's my friend but you know more about these things than I do," Sam explained.

          Sasha sighed. "I just hope this whole thing blows over soon. I don't like being mad at Danny," she admitted. "I mean, he deserves me being angry at him but… I mean all three of you are my friends but…"

          "You and Danny share a special connection because both of you are half-ghost. Is that it?" Sam finished.

          "Yeah," Sasha admitted.

          "I'm sure you two will make up after this is all over," Sam assured Sasha.

          "Thanks. Thanks for coming to check on me. You're a really great friend, Sam," Sasha said, reaching over and giving Sam a quick hug. "You better head back to Danny, be the supportive friend."

          "Let's hope you don't have to come and rescue us," Sam smiled and then headed out of the door, back towards Danny's haunted room.

          "Yeah… let's hope," Sasha muttered to herself.

* * *

          It was twenty minutes after Sam left that Sasha began to feel the effects of ghostly powers seeping through the house and into the town. Standing up she identified the strongest point of this energy was coming from Danny's room. Sasha looked at her bracelet. Pressing a button Sasha became confused when her bracelet said that there weren't any ghosts present in the building. Concerned Sasha ran towards Danny's room to see Lancer trapped in a giant spider web and a sword emitting a ghostly energy into the sky.

          "…I'll toss the sword back into the Ghost Zone," Sasha overheard Danny say as he talked to Sam.

          "The sword? Please tell me you didn't take the Soul Shredder," Sasha asked Danny, surprising both him and Sam. Danny opened his mouth to try and lie but before he could the real Fright Knight came bursting down through the roof, riding on his horse, Nightmare, with Tucker laying in his lap.

          "Hmm! That's one fancy flaming robot," Lancer commented, thinking it was all a part of Danny's room.

          "Danny! Sasha! Whatever you do, don't let him get the sword!" Tucker warned.

          "Silence, whelp!" the Fright Knight commanded before tossing him right into the spider web.

          "Tucker!" Sasha and Danny cried out worried.

          Danny replied by aiming the Fenton Foamer at the Fright Knight while Sasha transformed and headed straight towards the sword. She knew from all her research how bad things would get if the Fright Knight retrieved his sword. Unfortunately for her the Fright Knight thought the same thing and headed towards it as well. They met at the sword but it was the Fright Knight's strength that managed to pull the sword from the floorboards, throwing Sasha back.

          "That's certainly exciting, but is it scary?" Lancer pondered, angering the Fright Knight. With sword in hand, the Fright Knight swung his sword at Lancer, causing him to disappear. Tucker let out a scream as the sword managed to get him as well before disappearing.

          "Tucker? Mr. Lancer? What'd you do to them?" Danny demanded from the Fright Knight.

          "I sent him to where all who feel the sting of my blade are sent: a dimension where his worst fears come to life!" the Fright Knight answered.

          "YES! This contest is so mine!" Danny cheered.

          "Is that seriously what you're thinking about right now?" Sasha questioned annoyed as she transformed.

          Feeling both the glares from Sasha and Sam Danny transformed as well as he and Sasha teamed up to take out the Fright Knight. Both of them charged at the Fright Knight, taking extra care to avoid the slashing of this sword.

          "Listen to the sound of your doom!" the Fright Knight bellowed, as the outside world turned more and more into chaos. "Soon, my storm shall consume this planet. The world will be forever transformed! And no one can stop me!"

          "I refuse to let that happen," Sasha growled.

          Changing her tactics Sasha disappeared into the floor and then appeared behind the Fright Knight. Using the element of surprise Sasha tackled the Fright Knight, causing his sword to be knocked from his hand. The blade bounced across the floor before landed a distance away from the two. The Fright Knight tossed Sasha off him, flinging her into a wall which she hit hard.

          "Ugh!" Sasha groaned before sliding to the ground.

          As the Fright Knight got up to run towards the sword Danny flew ahead and beat him to it. Angered with his hands in another's hands the Fright Knight charged at him. "How in the world can we beat this guy?!" Danny exclaimed as he dodged the Knight's attacks.

          "The book says something about a pumpkin," Sam told him, flipping through the pages, searching for the information.

          "But we don't have any pumpkins! Isn't that ironic," Danny replied, murmuring the last part to himself.

          As she recovered from the Fright Knight's blow Sasha noticed Tucker's pumpkin bucket lying on the floor, the candy melted so much so that it no longer could act as a bucket.

          "Danny! Toss me the sword! I can end this!" she called out.

          "But we need a pumpkin!" Danny replied.

          "Just trust me on this! Please!" Sasha begged.

          Guilt filled Danny's eyes. She warned him about this. She warned him that messing with ghost stuff on Halloween would lead to disaster. And she was right. She'd been right about everything. After yelling at her and blatantly doing it anyway Sasha was still here, trying to save them from the mess he created. It was finally time to listen to his friend. Determined, Danny sent a blast at the Fright Knight, sending the ghost flying back far enough for Danny to get Sasha the sword. He then went into protective mode so, fighting back against the Fright Knight so that Sasha could finish this. Not wasting anytime Sasha ran to Tucker's pumpkin, saying the incantation she researched.

          "To cease the storm  
          To end the fear  
          The sword must sheathe  
          In pumpkin near!" Sasha recited and then plunged the sword into the pumpkin.

          Sasha was blown back as a powerful green energy came forth from the pumpkin. Danny caught his friend, saving her from another painful landing. The Fright Knight looked on in horror when he realized what was happening.

          "Trick and treat, bucket head!" Danny mocked the ghost.

          "No!" the Fright Knight cried out desperate and he ran to the pumpkin, trying to pull the sword out to no avail.

          The green light flashed, knocking the Fright Knight away and causing him to land on the floor. Sasha held onto Danny's arm as his grip on her tightened. The two exchanged a glance, hoping that it would work. A smile appeared on the pumpkin as green flashes of lightning sparked out of it. Nightmare, the Fright Knight's horse, whinnied in fear as it was sucked upwards into an ominous green vortex up high in the sky above the house. Sasha, Danny, and Sam smiled.

          "It's sucking everything into the Ghost Zone! It's working!" Sam cheered before she began to be pulled up towards the vortex.

          "Sam!" Danny and Sasha cried out.

          Reaching up the two grabbed each of Sam's arms and pulled her back down to the floor. Thinking fast Sasha called her powers over shadows. The shadows came up from the ground below their feet and wrapped around the three, gluing them to the floor. Sasha, Danny, and Sam clung to each other as they watched as the Fright Knight's chaos was pulled into the vortex. The Fright Knight desperately tried to cling to the floor, trying to escape the vortex's pull. Seeing this Sasha sent a blast of light at him, causing the Fright Night to lose his grip and fly up.

          "I will have my vengeance! Mark my words!" he swore to them before disappearing.

          With the Fright Knight gone the column of green light coming from the pumpkin thinned until it was no more. With everything gone the pumpkin with the sword disappeared itself, returning everything back to normal. Sasha released her and her friends from her shadowy hold now that everything was over. Suddenly, Tucker popped back into the room. Seeing this Sasha and Danny transformed back into their human forms as Lancer soon rejoined them as well. Sasha, Danny, and Sam put on the innocent act as Mr. Lancer approached them.

          "Mr. Fenton, I have to say that was the most horrifying thing I have ever seen," Lancer told him. "You win!"

          "Haha! Yes!" Danny cheered.

          The four watched as Lancer exited out of the room, relieved. Even with his victory, though, shame filled Danny's eyes realizing how much bad he'd done. He quickly ran out of the room to try and catch up with Lancer.

          "Please tell me he's not going to tell Lancer he doesn't deserve to win," Sasha said deadpanned to the others. Receiving no response Sasha sighed. "Alright, let's go save his butt for the second time tonight." Sam and Tucker nodded. They ran out of the room, Sam grabbing the Fenton Foamer as they left, meeting up with Danny as he confessed to Lancer.

          "Well I borrowed, uh, stole, some of my parent's technology," Danny 'admitted' to Lancer.

          "You mean like this?" Sam spoke up, drawing their attention to her, Sasha, Tucker and the Fenton Foamer in her arms.

          "The problem with the Fenton Foamer is that even though it cleanses ghostly energy - according to the Fentons - it unfortunately causes a psychosomatic reaction in whoever's exposed to it, causing them to experience their worst fear," Sasha said, coming up with an explanation.

          "Yeah! That!" Danny agreed.

          "Daniel, the good news for you is I don't care. I have two scary rooms and it's midnight! Let the party begin!" Lancer told Danny, not caring about what he used in his room.

          The happy atmosphere changed when Maddie and Fenton came charging in. "Nobody move!" the two ordered. Lancer, Sasha, Sam, Danny, and Tucker let out a cry as the five of them got covered in green foam.

          "I hate Halloween," Sasha muttered to herself.

* * *

          Lancer changed his mind and declared Dash the winner after being made fun of by the school faculty. Sasha left, not wanting to watch Danny get scolded by his parents. After everything that happened all she wanted was a nice hot shower and to slip into bed. Sasha rewarded herself by sleeping in and relaxing throughout the weekend. It was Monday morning at school when she saw her friends again. Before lunch, Danny stopped her at her locker.

          "Sasha, I… I'm sorry. You were right about the whole Fright Knight thing. And if it weren't for you the Fright Knight would have taken over. I should have listened to you. I'm sorry," he apologized.

          Sasha smiled softly. Maybe it was the fact that Halloween was over or the fact that she got a nice weekend to herself but Sasha simply accepted. "Apology accepted," she told him. Happy that their arguing had come to an end Sasha pulled Danny into a hug. "Just try to listen next time."

          "I'll try," Danny chuckled.

          "Hey, Fenton!" Sasha and Danny split to see Dash calling out, holding up his dirty pair of underwear. Both of them grimaced seeing the dirty, worn, garment. "Time to eat up!" Dash burst into cruel laughter imagining Danny's pain.

          "Great," Danny muttered, not looking forward to living up to his end of their bet.

          Feeling sorry for her friend, Sasha turned towards Dash. Seeing as he was still distracted with laughter, Sasha shot an ecto-ray at the underwear, turning it to ash. Dash looked at his now empty hand, astonished and angry that he wasn't going to see Danny eat his underwear.

          "Crap! Look like you're getting out of this Fenton, but next time you won't be as lucky," Dash warned Danny before storming into the lunchroom.

          "Wow, looks like you saved me again," Danny said to Sasha.

          "Hey, that's what friends are for," Sasha smiled. "Now come on, I'm pretty hungry and luckily your lunch plans just got cleared up." The two of them laughed as they headed into the lunchroom.


	6. In Love with Bad Luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Sasha is a Slytherin  
> (33% Slytherin, 28% Ravenclaw, 25% Gryffindor, and 14% Hufflepuff)

          It was a busy night for Team Phantom Shadow as ghosts seemed to plague Amity Park more than usual. So much so that everyone had to split up, Sasha and Danny separating to defeat the ghosts while Sam and Tucker went out to find them, calling upon their friends once they did. Luckily, for them, all the ghosts they'd been finding so far were what Sasha classified as Level One Ghosts. They were the more simple and easier to take care of ghosts but could overpower someone when they ganged up. It took no time for Sasha to take out the ghosts she discovered, though from their group calls she could tell that Danny was becoming tired. Having not found any ghosts for a while Sasha headed over to help him with a snake ghost Tucker called in. She arrived just in time to see the ghost smack Danny into a building.

          "Come on, I've been fighting ghosts for twenty-four hours. Can't one be easy," Danny complained.

          Coming to the rescue Sasha aimed her containment unit at the ghost snake and with the element of surprise sucked it in. The teen smirked and then headed over to help Danny up from the ground. "Hate to break it to you, Danny, but these are the easy ones," she told him.

          "Well they certainly don't feel like it," he almost pouted.

          "That's because we've been fighting them for twenty-four hours. What you need is a break," Sasha laughed.

          "If that's the case then why aren't you having as much trouble as I am?" Danny questioned.

          "Because I've been doing this for way longer than you have, remember?" Sasha replied.

          "Oh, right," Danny sighed. It was a bit difficult to wrap his head around sometimes. Sasha was his age so Danny tended to associate that she was on the same level he was with their ghost powers. But she had way more experience than he did. After all, she was skilled enough to have discovered her ghost specialty. He still needed to ask her how long exactly she'd been doing this and how she ended up half ghost like him. Those questions had to wait however as Danny's ghost sense went off. "Looks like we'll have to put that break on hold."

          The two turned around to see a guy coming out from an alleyway, riding a motorcycle. Danny and Sasha exchanged a glance before following after him down the road.

          "Um, sir, I believe you're speeding," Danny taunted.

          "I'll show you speeding. Shadow, attack!" the guy commanded. From beneath the ghost's motorcycle, the shadow that had its own eyes and arms came up from the ground and attacked Danny, flinging him away from the motorcycle guy.

          "Nice trick, I can do something like that too," Sasha said and gathered up her own shadows and sent spikes of shadows up from the ground to try and grab hold of the ghost.

          He did a good job avoiding them, however, swerving around the shadowy columns and managed to ride up a building away from Sasha. She went to follow after him when a bunch of Level One Ghosts ran out of the alley where Danny and the shadow were. Sasha peeked in to see that the Shadow the ghost sent after Danny was gone and that the Fenton Thermos was busted open.

          "What happened?" she asked.

          "Just a terrible case of rotten luck," Danny groaned, holding up the broken Thermos. "And not only did those two get away but now I have to find and capture all those ghosts again."

          "Doesn't look like you're gonna get far with a broken Thermos," Sasha commented. "Look, how about you go home and get some rest. I'll go recapture the ghosts."

          "But what about you? You've been out here as long as I have," Danny asked, feeling bad about leaving his friend to clean up the mess he created.

          "I'll be fine. Besides, my mom understands when I get home late. Your parents won't. So just take the chance to go home and relax for the rest of the night," she assured him.

          Danny still looked torn about the subject but nodded, submitting to Sasha's offer. She waved goodbye as Danny flew off to his house. Afterward, she took the moment to gather herself, take a deep breath, and then headed off to recapture the Level One Ghosts.

* * *

          Sasha let out a small yawn as she walked around the carnival with Danny, Sam, and Tucker. She was a bit tired from rounding up all the re-released ghosts from last night, flying home around midnight. But that didn't stop her from coming out to enjoy the carnival with her friends. There weren't many times where she could go out with friends and do things normal teenagers do so when Danny came knocking at her door to ask if she wanted to go Sasha instantly said yes.

          "You seem a bit tired," Sam noticed.

          "Yeah, I got in a bit late last night after rounding up those Level One Ghosts," Sasha explained with another small yawn.

          "I would have stayed if I knew you'd be getting in late," Danny told her. Sasha just waved it off, signaling that she was fine and that it was in the past already. "Ugh, if it wasn't for that stupid shadow you wouldn't have had to do that."

          "A shadow, huh? Shouldn't you know a thing or two about those?" Tucker asked Sasha.

          "I'm not one hundred percent sure that thing was a shadow. Shadows don't have their own forms, they simply take on the ones provided by objects and beings. And the shadows I summon always take on what I bend them to. This thing had its own form though and it appeared to act on simple commands. I'd have to get close to it in order to see if I can control it with my powers," Sasha explained.

          "Well, couldn't the motorcycle ghost be able to control shadows like you do?" Sam asked.

          "No, from what I know about ghosts with shadow abilities is that they don't ever bark a command for the shadows. The shadows simply do what the ghost wills it. This guy didn't do that. He was ordering it around like a guard dog. Which is good. I hope you guys never meet another ghost with shadow abilities like mine," Sasha answered.

          Danny looked over at Sasha, a bit worried. From what she said it sounded like she encountered others ghosts with shadow abilities like she had. And it didn't sound like anything good. Part of him wondered if one of those ghosts were the reasons she became half ghost. That would explain her specialty. He didn't get to ask though as Sasha switched the conversation to something else.

          "So, Tucker, how did your latest try at asking a girl out go?" Sasha asked.

          "Well, I was doing good until I asked if I can add her info to all my tech. Then she called me a techno-geek and ran off," Tucker admitted.

          "Maybe next time just try asking for her phone number, you know, the normal thing that everyone has," Sasha suggested.

          "I'm just so sick of being called a techno-geek," Tucker complained. It didn't help since whilst they were walking, Kwan grabbed Tucker's PDA out of his hands and began to make fun of him. After Dash commented how well his mockery was the two ran away shouting that techno-geek was contagious, adding more fuel to Tucker's anger. "That's it! By the end of the day, no one's gonna call Tucker Foley a techno-geek anymore."

          After handing his PDA over to Sam Tucker walked off, debating what his new thing would be. Sasha, Danny, and Sam all exchanged a look before following after their friend. They watched as he pondered to himself, walking under a ladder and then into Dash's fist.

          "Check it out, he just walked under a ladder into your fist," Kwan mocked.

          "Hey, we should call him Bad Luck Tuck," Dash suggested.

          "What?! No! I am not bad luck!" Tucker protested.

          Danny and Sasha let out a small gasp as their ghost senses went off. They turned around in time to see the shadow from the motorcycle ghost flying through a nearby truck.

          "No, but I think I know what is," Danny commented.

          He and Sasha ran off to transform, knowing that trouble was about to happen. As soon as they went ghost they saw the truck Tucker back up into to get away from Dash and Kwan started moving on its own and headed straight into the roller-coaster, destroying the ride. The carts didn't stop going and with a broken track ended up flying off. The carnival goers screamed as Danny and Sasha hurriedly flew over to save them. Danny took the majority, catching a heavier set man who in turn caught two children. Sasha was quick enough to catch the rest, including a little boy who was flung the furthest away from the group. The both of them sighed in relief, happy they were able to catch the people in time. However, a screamed alerted them to someone else who was in danger: Jazz. Sasha and Danny quickly went to return the saved people to the ground and go save the sixteen-year-old, but a familiar motorcycle riding ghost beat them to it. The two were on high alert as they dropped the people they saved off, ran to change back to their human forms, and then ran over to where Jazz and the motorcycle ghost was.

          "Jazz, are you alright?" Danny asked in a panic.

          "Do I need to take you to the hospital? Or to my mom?" Sasha asked.

          "I'm fine, thanks to…" she replied a bit dreamily.

          "Johnny, the name's Johnny," the ghost answered. Jazz stared at him happily, much to the dismay of Sasha and Danny. He then turned to Danny. "Shouldn't you be somewhere else?"

          "No, shouldn't you," Danny shot back. The two glared at each other.

          "Danny, don't be rude," Jazz scolded her brother.

          "Well he wasn't exactly the nicest guy either," Sasha muttered.

          Jazz ignored this however as she turned back to Johnny, shaking his hand. "Hi, I'm Jasmine, Jazz. Uh! Wow, I look like I was almost run over by a roller coaster."

          "We… excuse me I mean, I, think you look perfect, Kitten," Johnny corrected himself and then reached into his jacket and pulled out a purple scarf. "But here, I'd bet you'd look great in this."

          "Kitten? That's not a creepy pet name or anything," Sasha commented.

          "My name's not, Kitten," Jazz nicely told him, accepting the scarf.

          "Her name's not, Kitten," Danny echoed in a more aggressive tone.

          After Jazz put on the scarf she shot an annoyed look at Danny and then elbowed him in the shoulder. She then turned back to Johnny with a dreamy look in her eyes. "But you can call me that if you want," she told him.

          "Ride home, Kitten?" Johnny offered.

          Jazz instantly accepted, hopping onto Johnny's motorcycle and the two instantly rode off, leaving Danny and Sasha behind.

          "This isn't good, your sister is falling for a ghost. A creepy ghost that just screams ulterior motives," Sasha said. "You should follow them back to your house, make sure he doesn't try anything. I'll stick back and explain things to Sam and Tucker."

          "Thanks, Sasha, you're the best," Danny said and then ran off towards his house.

          Sasha let out a sigh. This ghost was proving to be trickier than she thought.

* * *

          "So how was Jazz when you got home?" Sasha asked. It was the next day at school and her, Danny, Sam, and Tucker were currently carrying their lunch outside to sit and discuss what happened more in detail.

          "Not good, it's like the more time she spends with that creep the stupider she gets," Danny replied annoyed. "She actually took him downstairs and went to activate the portal. The weirdest part was me and my parents were actually on the same page. I'm not like them. Am I?"

          "Let's see, you're stubborn, overprotective, your last name's Fenton, and you hunt ghosts," Sam listed.

          "Only thing you're missing is the hazmat goggles and wonder gut," Tucker teased as they sat down at a table. Two people ran away, not wanting to sit next to Bad Luck Tuck. "I'm not bad luck!"

          His statement was proven wrong as his spoon was flung up into the air, hitting a bee's nest. Sasha, Danny, and Sam ducked under the picnic bench, allowing for Sasha to cover them with a shield of shadows to protect them while everyone else bolted, getting stung in the process.

          "Maybe if he stops shouting it won't happen anymore," Sam suggested.

          "Danny, look if you want I can try talking to Jazz and figure out why she's acting so strange," Sasha offered. "She might listen to me since I'm not family."

          "That might work," Danny replied.

          "Okay, then. I'll find her after school's over, tell her that I want to talk to her about a problem I'm having. If I know Jazz, she'll jump on that chance," Sasha decided.

          If only it was that easy for as soon as school got out the four of them saw Jazz jump on the back of Johnny's motorcycle, him just so happening to be at their school.

          "Darnit, Jazz," Danny cursed.

          He and Sasha changed into their ghost forms and went after them. Unfortunately, Johnny spotted them and sent his shadow to deal with them. This time Sasha stuck around with Danny to help him deal with it, hoping her control over shadows would help them. Danny was the first to react, however, shooting an ectoblast at it. That managed to form a hole in the shadow but he quickly filled it back in.

          "Crap," Danny muttered.

          "Let's see if I can do anything about this," Sasha said and then shouted at the shadow. "Hey shadow creature, let's see how you handle someone else in control."

          Focusing on the shadow Sasha tried to grasp hold of it. There was something there that she was able to grab but it wasn't the same as the shadows she controlled. It was like she was only controlling a third of the shadow. Both of them struggled to gain control though it was the shadow ghost who was currently winning.

          "Danny, do something," Sasha groaned as she continued to struggle with the shadow ghost.

          While the shadow creature was still slightly under Danny began to power up two more ectoblasts. The light from the charging up of the ectoblast is was caused the shadow ghost to finally free itself from Sasha's hold. The shadow ghost backed away from the light while Sasha was thrown backward into a tree. She let out a hiss when her head connected with the truck and slid down to the ground. Danny hurried down while the shadow ghost was gathering itself to check on his friend.

          "Are you alright?" he asked.

          "The throbbing in the back of my head would suggest no," Sasha winced.

          "You think you're strong enough to summon up some light? It's the only thing that will weaken it," Danny asked.

          "Do the small lights swarming my vision count? Sorry, Danny, but it looks like you're on your own with this one. I'm gonna need a minute… or five, to recover," Sasha apologized.

          "It's okay, I'll figure something out," Danny assured her.

          "Want me to go after Jazz after I recover?" Sasha questioned, remembering the other problem at hand.

          "I don't think it would be good for you to face off against Johnny with a potential head injury. I'll take care of him after I'm done with Mr. Bad Luck," Danny answered, looking around to see something that might help him. His eyes fell onto the movie theater nearby, giving him an idea. "That'll do. You head home, I'll take care of the shadow."

          Sasha gave him a small thumbs up and then watched as he led the shadow ghost towards the movie theater. She sat against the tree for a while, reverting back to her human form to use up less energy and once she gained her strength back Sasha headed home.

* * *

          "So, what happened?" Sasha's mom asked as she examined her daughter's head injury. Once she made it back home her mom was quick to notice that something was wrong and sat her daughter down on one of the kitchen bar stools to do a quick examination.

          "I tried to take control of the shadow ghost but got flung into a tree when he shook me off," Sasha explained, wincing when her mom touched a sensitive spot. "So how does it look?"

          "Well, if you were a normal person you would have a major concussion. But with your healing factor you'll just have to deal with some bad headaches for a little bit and a goose egg where your head it the tree," her mom diagnosed. She walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of painkillers, shaking out two small pills. "Here, take these, it'll help with the headaches."

          Sasha took the pills and dry swallowed them, having had plenty of practice in the past. "Thanks, mom," she said.

          "You're welcome, sweetie," her mom replied and gave her a kiss on her temple. Finished with her examination she began to pack up her first aid kit when both of them heard shouting coming from outside. "I wonder what's going on out there?"

          "I'm gonna go check it out," Sasha told her and then walked outside.

          Instantly she saw that Danny managed to interrupt Johnny trying something with Jazz and now he was dealing with his parents "yelling" at him for spying on them. They looked to be giving Danny a thumbs up for his actions but when Jazz looked their way they switched over to disappointed parent mode as Johnny drove off.

          "And don't do it again!" Jack and Maddie scolded.

          "But seriously, feel free to do it again," Jack whispered to Danny.

          Annoyed with her family Jazz walked over to Sasha, hoping to vent to someone who might understand.

          "Ugh, can you believe them? Why can't they just leave me alone? I'm old enough to make my own decisions about who I do and don't date," she complained.

          "I'm sure they're just being a bit protective because they love you, they are your family after all," Sasha tried to assure her, even though she herself was on Danny's side.

          "I guess but I just wish they'd trust me," Jazz grumbled.

          Sasha gave her a pitied look, feeling bad that Jazz got sucked into a relationship with a shady ghost. "Hey, do you think we can head to your room? I kinda wanted to talk to you about something that I'm having a hard time dealing with."

          "Yeah sure, you can talk to me about anything, Sasha," she accepted and then led her into the Fenton's house. As she headed inside Sasha exchanged a glance with Danny, silently telling him that she would try and get to the bottom of what was going on with his sister.

          They stopped by the kitchen first, each getting a cup of pomegranate juice for their conversation and then headed upstairs. Once in her room Jazz ushered Sasha to her bed, setting down their drinks on her nightstand. Sasha looked around the room, she hadn't really been in Jazz's room before and was a bit surprised to see how plain it was. She was expecting a lot more books scattered about but there were only three small stacks on her desk, nightstand, and actual bookshelf. Those were being ignored in favor of an open notebook where doodles of hearts and double j's were being drawn. Sasha frowned, seeing how bad of a crush Jazz had on Johnny.

          "So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Jazz asked. Sasha sucked in a breath, trying to figure out a cover story to tell the older girl.

          "Well… it's just that. I'm really starting to like this guy…" Sasha began to lie.

          "Is it Danny?" Jazz asked.

          "What?" Sasha questioned confused.

          "It's just, I saw that you sneak a glance at him when we were heading inside," Jazz went to explain.

          "No, it's not Danny," Sasha blushed. "It's… it's some guy I met at school when I was waiting for my mom to get out of work."

          "Is he cute?" Jazz questioned.

          "Yeah, he's really cute and I think he likes me back. The only thing stopping me from really going for it is that, well… people tell me that he's a bit of a sketchy person and that it almost seems like he likes me because he has an alternative purpose," Sasha continued to lie. She figured that maybe if she presented Jazz with a similar situation then maybe she could snap the older girl out of her crush. "What do you think I should do?"

          "I'd go for it. Those people don't know him like you do so, yeah, just go for it. That's what I've done with Johnny," Jazz answered.

          Sasha inwardly frowned. That wasn't something Jazz would say. Jazz was logical but what she was telling her didn't sound like it at all. Her crush on Johnny really was affecting her thinking.

          "How are things going with you and Johnny?" Sasha asked, switching the conversation up, trying a different tactic.

          "Things are going really well," Jazz answered, a slight blush appearing on her face. "Last night he gave me this jacket and today he asked me to go steady with him."

          "Wow, that's really fast. You guys just met two days ago and he's already asking you to go steady?" Sasha questioned, hoping Jazz would see how strange that was.

          "I know but it's different with Johnny. I really feel like I'm falling in love with him," Jazz sighed.

          Once again Sasha frowned inwardly. It was time to change tactics once again. "That is a really nice jacket. Would you mind if I try it on? I've been thinking about getting myself a nice red jacket and am sure if I tried yours on it would really help me make a decision," Sasha asked. Jazz paused, feeling a bit conflicted.

          "Sure," she ultimately decided.

          Jazz shrugged off the jacket and handed it over to Sasha. Sasha got up from her bed and headed over to Jazz's full-length mirror on the back of her door. She slipped the jacket on and immediately felt it. There was a ghostly energy in the jacket trying to manipulate her feelings, the strongest being an attraction to Johnny. Sasha shook the feeling off before pretending to check herself out in the mirror. She'd have to tell Danny about this but first thing was to try and get the jacket away from Jazz.

          "It's really nice. I think I actually might get one now," Sasha nodded and headed back over to Jazz's bed. On her way over though Sasha purposely bumped into Jazz's nightstand, causing their glasses to fall and spill onto Sasha and the jacket. She immediately went to pick up the glasses and try and find something to clean up the spill. "Oh my god, I am so sorry, Jazz!"

          "It's alright, I can get some paper towels and clean it up," she tried to wave off.

          "But I got it on your jacket. Here, let me clean it to make it up to you. My mom and I are great with dealing with different types of stains," Sasha offered.

          "That would be nice," Jazz agreed.

          "Then I better get going. It's best to deal with this quickly. I'll see you later. Bye, Jazz," Sasha said and then rushed out of the room.

          Sasha quickly headed out of the Fenton's house and once outside she removed the jacket, getting an even bigger headache thanks to the added, suggestive energy of the jacket. She let out a sigh of relief and went to head over to her house when a familiar ghost on a motorcycle pulled up beside her.

          "Hey, what are you doing with that jacket?" Johnny questioned.

          "Oh, Jazz let me try it on and I accidentally spilled some juice on it. As an apology I promised that I'd clean it for her," Sasha explained, shifting uncomfortably under Johnny's gaze. It was clear that he didn't recognize her as her ghost form which was working out in her favor but that didn't stop the creepiness she felt, especially as he looked her up and down.

          "Hmm, not bad, not bad. Maybe if things don't work out with Jazz then maybe I can give you a try," he thought out loud.

          "Uhhh…" Sasha said, not really knowing how to respond.

          "Hey, Sasha, I saw you come out from Jazz's room, she's not that mad at me, is she?" Danny asked as he stepped out from his house. He instantly became angry when he saw that Johnny was talking to Sasha, looking at her like she was some piece of meat. "Is this guy bothering you?"

          "Man, you're really annoying when it comes to girls. Why don't you just butt out of this. We were just having a nice conversation," Johnny glared at him.

          "Yeah well, I don't think I like where that conversation was going. Come on Sasha, I'll walk you to your house," Danny said.

          He wrapped his arm, protectively around her shoulder and began to lead her next door. Danny shot Johnny one last glare before entering into the Lucas household with Sasha, slamming the door behind him.

          "What a creep. Are you okay, Sasha? He didn't try anything with you, did he?" Danny asked worried.

          "I'm fine," Sasha replied, a delayed shiver running down her spine. "He was being super creepy though, said that if things don't work out with Jazz then he might want to give me a try. Ugh, I don't even want to think about that." Danny gave Sasha a comforting hug which she gladly accepted.

          "Sorry," he apologized, even though it wasn't his fault. When he pulled out of the hug he looked over her head, looking out for anything he might have missed when she first hit the tree. "How's your head?"

          "It's alright. I'm gonna be suffering from headaches for the rest of the night and might have a nice sized bump for a day or two but it'll heal up pretty quickly," she explained. Danny nodded, knowing just how fast their healing factor was. "Thanks for walking me home, Danny. Even if it was just next door."

          "You're welcome. See you at school tomorrow?" he asked

          "See you at school," Sasha confirmed.

          He gave her one more worried look before heading out the door and back over to his house. Sasha took in a deep breath before looking down at the jacket in her hands. She needed to wash it, hoping that the soap and water would help remove the ghostly energy within it.

* * *

          Danny hovered a bit protectively around Sasha the next day at school, keeping an eye out just in case Johnny came back around again. He would have done the same thing to Jazz if they weren't in separate grades, but a least he could protect someone.

          "Wow, Danny, can you give the girl any more room to breathe," Sam commented.

          "I just wanna make sure that Sasha's alright," Danny replied.

          "She's fully capable of taking care of herself you know," Sam told him, a bit annoyed.

          "I know that! It's just…"

          "Last night was a bit of a double whammy. Not only did I hit my head pretty bad but then Johnny got under my skin last night. Said that if things don't work out with Jazz then he'd want to give me a try. So, his heart's in the right place," Sasha explained, coming to Danny's defense.

          "Oh, wow, I can't believe he would say something like that to you. Are you okay?" Sam asked.

          "I'm fine. Was just a bit freaked out when it happened but I've moved past it. Right now I'm trying to focus on snapping Jazz out of whatever spell Johnny has her under. I was able to get the jacket from her last night. After slipping it on myself I noticed at ghost's energy within the jacket, trying to manipulate me into liking Johnny," Sasha told them.

          "So with each gift Johnny gives the more Jazz is influenced. This isn't good. Thanks for getting the jacket away from her, Sasha. Hopefully, that will bring back more of her senses," Danny said.

          "We better keep our guard up. Jazz told me that Johnny asked her to go steady. That can't be good for whatever he's planning," Sasha replied.

          Danny nodded in agreement and the three of them headed out of school. Sasha and Danny were taken off guard when they spotted a gothed out Tucker.

          "Wasn't expecting that," Danny admitted. "What the heck is going on with you?"

          "We're changing his image," Sam informed them and walked over to Tucker.

          "That's right. No more Bad Luck Tuck, I'm changing my image… again," Tucker smiled.

          "I'd try something else then because trust me, you can't pull off goth chic. Only Sam can do that," Sasha suggested.

          "Sure he can," Sam said, coming to Tucker's defense. "Tucker, show Danny and Sasha your disaffected scowl."

          The two of them watched as Tucker gathered his composure and tried to give them a pissed off at the world look that wasn't really convincing. Sasha just raised her eyebrow at him, as she and Danny looked at him unimpressed.

          "No, no, I can still see some hope," Sam critiqued before turning back to the other two. "If you need us tonight we'll be at Tucker's, darkening his outlook on the world. Won't that be fun?"

          "Yeah, we'll be at… Wait, what are we going to be doing at Tucker's?" Tucker asked Sam, a bit uncertain as she pushed him along towards his house.

* * *

          Sasha hung out in her room, waiting to hear from Danny in case he needed backup. Both of them had a feeling that tonight Johnny would try something with Jazz. Right now though she was just staring at the red jacket. She did indeed get the stain out though was disappointed to find that the washing hadn't gotten rid of the ghostly energy. Currently, her mom was searching down in the basement, trying to find some device that could rid the jacket of the ghostly energy. Sasha was becoming a bit anxious, a feeling deep in her gut told her something was going to happen. Deciding to try the more offensive approach Sasha slipped the jacket on. She instantly felt the suggestive energy try to manipulate her but chose to ignore it. Instead, Sasha began to feed the jacket more of her energy, trying to fight back. Closing her eyes she concentrated, trying to fight the energy off. She was interrupted however when she felt two arms wrapped around her waist, entrapping her arms.

          "Hey! Let me go!" Sasha cried out.

          Opening her eyes she saw that the shadow ghost had taken hold of her, trapping her in his body. She began to struggle, trying to free herself as the shadow ghost took her to the Fenton's basement where Johnny was with Jazz and Danny. She could see that Danny managed to get the scarf off of Jazz, getting her back to her old self, so much so that she was trying to defend Danny from Johnny.

          "Well look who it is, my backup. And you're already wearing the jacket, good," Johnny smiled, seeing that his shadow had Sasha in his grips.

          "Sasha!" Danny and Jazz exclaimed.

          With the two of them distracted for a moment, Johnny flung Jazz away, sending her flying into a cabinet and knocking her out. Danny went to try and save Sasha from the shadow but Johnny stopped him, grabbing hold of the back of his shirt.

          "No way! You ruined my first plan so now I'm gonna use your girlfriend as a replacement," Johnny said to him. "Shadow, fix her up with the rest."

          "No!" Danny exclaimed, struggling to get out of Johnny's grasp as he watched the shadow ghost grab the scarf and ring.

          "There's no way I'm allowing you to do anything to me," Sasha said and then pushed herself into the shadow ghost, buying herself some time.

          Danny punched Johnny, causing the ghost to release him, before transforming into his ghost form to try and fight off Johnny's shadow minion. He didn't get the chance to however as from the inside of the shadow ghost, a burst of bright light erupted, completely dissipating the shadow ghost and revealing Sasha now in her ghost form. The scarf and ring clattered to the ground. Danny smiled seeing that his friend was fine while Johnny looked on in horror.

          "Now that your lackey is gone, I can take care of you," Sasha said.

          "Oh no! My shadow, my power! I need to get out of here," Johnny cried out.

          He didn't get far as Sasha punched him square in the face as he tried to flee to his bike.

          "That is for messing with my friends," Sasha said and then aimed her containment unit at him. "And this is for being a creep." She smiled victoriously as he was sucked inside.

          "Wow, that was awesome," Danny complemented as Sasha flew over to him. "Now I really wish I could do stuff like that."

          Sasha chuckled. "I'm sure I'll be saying the same thing to you one day. But thanks."

          A groan from across the room alerted the two ghost teens that Jazz was waking up, causing both of them to quickly transform back into their human forms.

          "Uh… what happened?" Jazz asked herself before remembering what went on before Johnny pushed her. "Sasha! Danny! Oh my god, are you two alright? Where's Johnny? I can't believe that he was a ghost."

          "We're fine, Jazz. I used my containment unit and sucked Johnny and his creepy shadow ghost in. Now they have a one-way ticket back into the ghost zone," Sasha explained.

          "Oh thank god," Jazz sighed. "I am so sorry you two. I've been acting like a dunce and you two have been trying to get me away from Johnny since the beginning. Can you forgive me?"

          "Just promise not to date anyone who wants to go steady after a few days," Danny said.

          "Promise," Jazz accepted.

          "Kids! What's going on down here?!" Maddie Fenton shouted, her voice laced with worry as her and Jack speed down the stairs.

          "Oh nothing, just running out a jerk," Sasha said. There was no need to tell them that Johnny was actually a ghost that would only create more problems.

          "Wait, that hooligan was here?" Jack asked, looking around for any signs of Johnny.

          "And what are you doing here, Sasha?" Maddie asked confused.

          "He was until Jazz broke up with him," Sasha lied. "I came over and told her how he was hitting on me when I left your house yesterday. She realized how skeevy he was and broke up with him. Then he tried to hit on me again and… well after a good punch to the face, I got him to leave. I suggest burning all the things he gave you, Jazz. I'm sure that will make you feel better."

          Sasha sent Jazz a smile while the older girl returned it with a soft smile of her own, thanking Sasha for not telling them the truth. She mouthed a thank you to her to which Sasha nodded in response.

          "Wowzers, a girl who isn't afraid to slug a creep. Reminds me of your mother," Jack smiled sweetly down at Maddie.

          "Aw, Jack," his wife gushed.

          "Danny, take note son, find yourself a nice girl like that," Jack told him.

          "How about for now I just walk Sasha home," he replied, wanting to get out of this conversation. He took Sasha's hand and began to lead her up the stairs.

          "That a boy!" Jack cheered on, thinking that Danny was already taking his advice.

          A dark blush appeared on both Danny and Sasha's cheeks. Neither one replied though and just continued to make their way up and out of the house. It was a silent, short walk, that ended at Sasha's front door.

          "Thanks for your help, it's nice knowing someone who's really good at kicking ghost butt," Danny thanked her.

          "It's no problem. I'm happy to lend my years of experience to help my friends," Sasha told him.

          "Actually, now that all this craziness is over I want to ask you something," Danny said.

          "Shot."

          "When and how exactly did you get your ghost powers?"

          Sasha's breath hitched as Danny waited patiently for her response.


	7. New Friends and Old Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs featured in this chapter in order of appearance:  
> "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen  
> "Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors

          Sasha let out a groan as she threw her pencil down onto her songwriting notebook. She'd been focusing on writing songs for Nova Super's first album ever since Danny asked her those few questions. In reality, Sasha had been avoiding him because of that. The scene kept replaying in her brain. The tightening in her chest as Danny waited for her to answer. Sasha stumbling over the sounds coming from her mouth before saying goodnight and hurriedly heading inside her house, slamming the door in Danny's face. It was hard dealing with it at school, having Danny always looking at her with curious eyes while trying to avoid any conversation that might bring the questions back up. She'd been staying after school to avoid the eventual confrontation. The chorus room quickly became her sanctuary, allowing Sasha to lose herself in music. Sam questioned her at first, wondering why she was skipping out on their after school hangouts but once Sasha made up the excuse that it was for Nova then Sam simply nodded and didn't question it again. And it was true, she was working on music for Nova, she just couldn't think of anything at the moment. No matter how many different cords she tried on her guitar nothing sounded good enough to match the lyrics she'd come up with. Setting her guitar aside Sasha got up from her chair to search through her backpack for her iPod. If she couldn't think of anything herself then at least she could get inspiration from other songs. Once her iPod was in her hand Sasha located her playlist titled "Musical Masterpieces" and put it on shuffle. Setting the iPod down on the chorus room's piano Sasha walked around the room. A smile spread across her face as "Bohemian Rhapsody" started to play. For a while, Sasha just savored in the song but as soon as the electric guitar started to play she began to dance around the room, fully into the song.

"So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?  
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?  
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby!  
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here!" Sasha sang along.

          Now she was full on jamming out, lost in the song, lost in her own little world, here in the chorus room at Casper High. At that moment, there were no worrisome questions to avoid or ghost. It was just her and the music. As the song drew to its end Sasha sank down onto a row of chorus chairs, singing out the last lines.

"Nothing really matters, anyone can see  
Nothing really matters  
Nothing really matters to me  
Any way the wind blows," she finished.

          A single applause echoed throughout the room, causing Sasha to sit up from her position and looked around in alarm. Standing right by the door was a boy with shining black hair that was swooped upwards and black eyes that shone well in the poor lighting. The light smirk on his face caused Sasha's face to redden in embarrassment.

          "That was quite impressive," the boy commented.

          "I thought nobody used the chorus room after school," Sasha said, confused as to why someone walked in.

          "It's not until the spring semester when the school musical practices in here," he told her. "I was just passing by when I heard music coming from here and became curious."

          "And when you saw me embarrassingly jamming out by myself you decided to stick around?" Sasha asked becoming defensive.

          "Actually it was your singing that made me stick around. You're really good," he replied.

          Sasha paused, shocked by what he said. "Uh… thank you," she eventually said.

          "We could really use you for the spring musical. Our best singer graduated last year and Lancer has been worried about finding a good enough replacement," the boy told her.

          "I don't even know your name and you're asking me to audition for a musical that isn't happening until next semester? That's awfully forward of you," Sasha commented.

          "Xavier Torres," the boy introduced herself.

          "Sasha Lucas," Sasha introduced in return.

          "The nurse's daughter?" Xavier asked.

          Sasha smiled. She'd never been known as the nurse's daughter before. It was always the freak, the ghost girl, the menace. It was nice to hear that those around here knew her as the nurse's daughter. It was the most normal thing she'd had in a while.

          "Yeah, that's right," she replied. "Even after the introductions though I'm not sure if you'd even want me auditioning. You've only heard me sing along to hits, no songs from musicals."

          "Well, we can see if you'll be good at that right now," Xavier said and sat down at the piano. "You know any songs?"

          "Not really, the only musical I've ever seen is Little Shop of Horrors," Sasha admitted.

          Xavier looked at her, taken aback a bit. "Okay, it's not horrible. Little Shop of Horrors is a great show but that's it? God, if you nail this then I need to introduce you to more musicals than that," he said. "You remember any song from that in particular?"

          "'Suddenly Seymour' was always my favorite," Sasha answered.

          "A duet, good choice. Looks like I'm gonna get a bit of practice myself," Xavier smiled and then started playing. Sasha headed over to the piano herself, listening to the music and trying to recollect the lyrics.

" _Lift up your head, wash off your mascara_  
Here, take my Kleenex, wipe that lipstick away  
Show me your face clean as the mornin'  
I know things were bad but now they're okay

 _Suddenly Seymour is standing beside you_  
You don't need no makeup, don't have to pretend  
Suddenly Seymour, is here to provide you  
Sweet understanding, Seymour's your friend," Xavier sang.

"Nobody ever treated me kindly  
Daddy left early, mamma was poor  
I'd meet a man and I'd follow him blindly  
He'd snap his fingers, me, I'd say 'Sure'

Suddenly Seymour is standing beside me  
He don't give me orders, he don't condescend  
Suddenly Seymour is here to provide me  
Sweet understanding, Seymour's my friend," Sasha joined in.

          Xavier smiled happily at Sasha, pleased to find that her singing abilities didn't skip over musical songs. He was already plotting to teach her everything he knew about musicals and convince her to try out for the spring show. Sasha herself was smiling, finding that Xavier was a pretty good singer himself. She'd never been able to really sing with someone else before and right now she was really enjoying it.

" _Tell me this feeling lasts till forever  
Tell me the bad times are clean washed away"_

"Please understand that it's still strange and frightening  
For losers like I've been, it's so hard to say"

"Suddenly, Seymour  
 _(Suddenly Seymour)  
_ He purified me  
 _(He purified you)  
_ Suddenly, Seymour  
 _(Suddenly Seymour)  
_ Showed me I can  
 _(Yes, you can)  
_ Learn how to be more  
The girl that's inside me _(you)_

 _With sweet understanding_  
With sweet understanding  
 _With sweet understanding_  
With sweet understanding"

"With sweet understanding  
Seymour's my _(your)_ man" Sasha and Xavier finished together.

          Once again Xavier broke out into a single applause except this time Sasha didn't blush in embarrassment.

          "That was really good," he complimented.

          "You weren't bad yourself," Sasha smiled.

          "Now you need to audition when the spring musical rolls around," Xavier told her.

          "I… I'm not sure," Sasha said. Sure, this duet was fun but there was so much going on in her life between being Sasha Shadow and Nova Super that Sasha wasn't sure that she'd be able to add a musical to her already busy schedule. Xavier frowned for a moment before shrugging it off.

          "Tell you what, why don't you just think about it. Auditions are a while away still and until then you and I can hang out and strengthen that voice of yours in case you decide that you want to. How about, every Tuesday or so. Plus, this will allow me to introduce you to more musicals," Xavier offered.

          "One duet and you want to spend every Tuesday with me?" Sasha teased.

          "What can I say, I appreciate a great voice," Xavier shrugged.

          "Fine," Sasha agreed. "Tuesdays it is then."

          "Great!" Xavier smiled. "Now while we're here maybe we can…"

          Sasha's phone interrupted him as her ringtone sounded out. She hurriedly pulled it out of her pocket and saw that Sam was calling her.

          "Sam? What's going on?" Sasha answered the phone.

          "Sasha, there's ghosts, like a butt ton of ghosts! They're invading the town!" Sam told her.

          "Shit, okay, I'll be over as quick as I can," Sasha told Sam and then hung up. She hurriedly began to pack up her stuff. "Sorry, Xavier, my friend really needs me right now. I guess I'll see you on Tuesday."

* * *

          Last night was awful. She and Danny did their best in trying to take down as many ghosts as they could but there was just too many. They were truly taking over the city. Not even Sasha's experience could help them with this. The next day at school everyone was ushered into the auditorium where Principal Ishiyama and the Mayor were.

          "Now, I know you kids are scared because ghosts are scary scary things," the Mayor said though no one look phased, ghosts had been a thing for a while. This time there was just more of them. "But I came to your school, not because this is a great photo opportunity but because you children are our future… voters. And now, I'd like to turn this over to Principal Ishiyama, who's here to inform you of some exciting rules and restrictions."

          "This is going to end badly," Danny whispered to his friends as the principal took over the podium.

          "Due to the continuing and escalating ghost threat, here's the way we're going to limit your freedom," she came right out to say. "One: Students are to have no contact with these spirits. Two: All students will be escorted directly to their homes after school. And three: By order of the Mayor's new security advisor, a nine o'clock curfew."

          "A curfew?!" Sam exclaimed.

          "An escort!?" Tucker joined in.

          "Okay, who's the idiot security advisor that came up with those lame ideas?" Danny questioned.

          Right on cue Jack and Maddie Fenton came bursting through the doors, each of them holding some type of ghost hunting equipment and a megaphone. Danny immediately winced.

          "Fear not, young ones. We're here to make sure this school is prepared for any ghost emergency," Jack assured them.

          "You must be cautious. At any time one of these ectoplasmic malefactors… Hi, sweetie!" Maddie smiled at Danny before going back to addressing the crowd. "… could appear out of nowhere."

          "Man, that's rough buddy," Sasha said to Danny.

          "Time to sit in the back where nobody can notice us?" Danny suggested.

          "Time to sit in the back where nobody can notice us," the others agreed.

          Before they had time to move from their seats Danny and Sasha's ghost senses went off. The two looked around nervously trying to spoke where the ghost, or ghosts, in this case, would appear. What did appear was a werewolf type ghost, springing on stage and frightening everyone. Students and adults ran all over the place, causing more chaos as other ghosts appeared. Danny and Sasha tried to stick together while everyone else ran out of the room, trying to escape. In all the chaos though it was difficult for either of them to transform as there were too many people around to see them. Plus, with their ghost senses going off constantly it was hard for both of them to pay full attention.

          "There's so many ghosts in here, my ghost sense is going crazy," Danny complained.

          Not much longer after Danny said that, the werewolf ghost from before grabbed Danny and held him down.

          "Servi!" the ghost growled.

          "Danny!" Sasha exclaimed.

          "Get away from him!" Maddie Fenton shouted and then blasted the ghost away from her son.

          "Are you alright?" Sasha asked, helping Danny to his feet.

          "I'm fine. It looks like that ghost wolf might be the cause of all of this," Danny answered and looked towards where the ghost disappeared.

          "Then we should go after it then," Sasha decided.

          Danny nodded in agreement and the two ran out, trying to follow the wolf ghost. They were stopped however when they ran into Mr. Lancer who then pushed them into a safe room with all the other students. Danny and Sasha let out a groan of annoyance, frustrated that they wouldn't be able to do anything trapped inside the room.

          "Sasha!" Xavier shouted over to her, causing both Sasha and Danny to turn and look at him. Seeing that she spotted him Xavier waved to her.

          "Xavier, hey!" Sasha waved back.

          "Who's he?" Danny asked.

          "Xavier? He's just a new friend," Sasha answered.

          "Does he know about you?" Danny questioned.

          "About my ghost side? Of course not, that's not something I reveal to anyone," Sasha replied.

          "Yeah, it seems like even your closest friends don't know much about you," Danny commented, irritation in his voice.

          "Are you really gonna do this now?" Sasha asked, annoyance beginning to rise into her own voice.

          "You've been ignoring me for a week, Sasha. Is one question all that it takes to push you away from people?"

          "That question is asking a lot from me, Danny. I would hope that you of all people would understand that. But if you can't then fine. You're not the only friend I have," Sasha replied and then stormed off towards Xavier. At least he wouldn't ask questions about that part of her.

* * *

          The general sense of uneasiness in the air was only getting worse. With all the limitations placed, the ghosts flying around, and the only two ghosts on the towns sides pissed at each other, things weren't feeling that great. Sam and Tucker especially felt on edge as although Sasha and Danny were pissed at each other they were still hanging around each other. The situation they were currently in wasn't like their fight regarding the Fright Knight. No, this time there was a bigger issue. Both knew they'd have to tackle the ghost invasion together if they wanted to stop it. Which would explain why Sasha was sitting with them at lunch instead of going off and finding Xavier. Still didn't mean either was happy about it though. As soon as they sat down Danny's parents were there in an instant to protect them with the help of the RV which put up an anti-ghost shield around the lunch area.

          "This portable ghost shield only had enough power for fifteen minutes, so chew! Chew like the wind!" Jack shouted at everyone.

          "Danny, you okay?" Sam asked, looking over at her friend a bit worried.

          "Why would I not be? Just because the town's on high alert and my parents are at my school. And one of my best friends is being a jerk," Danny said sarcastically. At the last jab, Sasha glared at him, biting down roughly on the carrot stick she was eating to show her own annoyance. "All I knew is as soon as I get five free minutes, I'm gonna toss that blabbering hairball that started this back into the ghost zone!"

          "If he doesn't get the jump on you first like he did last time," Sasha muttered to herself, causing Danny to send her his own glare.

          "I don't think it was blabbering. I think it was Esperanto," Tucker interrupted, wanting to move the conversation elsewhere.

          "Esper-wha-wha?" Sam questioned.

          "Esperanto: an artificial language from the 1800s. Now its only purpose is to give geeks a secret language to talk to other geeks," Tucker explained.

          "And you're fluent? But you don't really talk to anyone besides us," Sasha teased.

          "Of course I'm fluent," his voice cracked.

          "Then tell us, what was he saying," Sasha asked him to do.

          "I… I actually couldn't tell what that ghost was screaming," Tucker admitted, a light blush of embarrassment appearing on his face. "But he looked scared. Like he wanted help."

          At that moment, Danny and Sasha's ghost senses went off and the two looked around frantically to try and locate the source. "Oh no. Here? Again?" Danny complained.

          "But we're chewing like the wind inside an anti-ghost zone. Where could the ghost be?" Tucker questioned. The exploding of the RV behind them clued the four into where the ghost was located.

          "Survey says, behind us," Sam pointed out.

          They turned to see that it was the ghost from before who caused the RV to explode, causing the shield to come down. As more ghosts invaded the area Sasha noticed that as the wolf ghost tried to run away from the scene the collar that he was wearing shocked him, stopping him from doing so. Looking around she could see that a ghost wearing an eyepatch was the one with a remote, shocking the wolf. She was about to point this out to her friends but Danny pulled her away so that they could go transform and try to take care of the situation.

          "If anybody asked where we are, lie," Danny instructed Tucker and Sam.

          Sasha rolled her eyes, annoyed that she wasn't able to tell the others but went along with him. They hid behind a tree and then transformed into their ghost forms. Instantly they went after the eye patch ghost and the police ghost cronies of his.

          "Wait, so aren't these that other ghost's lackeys? The one you were telling me about. Walker wasn't it?" Sasha tried to remember.

          "Yeah," Danny answered. As they fought off ghosts the two of them noticed that the eyepatch ghost shot the wolf ghost with a laser gun. "You're big, you're hairy, and you're a ghost. But if Walker's goons are after you, you can't be all bad."

          Feeling sorry for the ghost wolf and hoping to make an ally, Danny and Sasha went to work. Danny managed to get the wolf away from the laser gun while Sasha focused on Eyepatch. Eyepatch was doubly surprised by not only Danny coming to Wulf's rescue but also because Sasha hit him with an ectoblast causing him to fly backward. Sasha looked back for a minute to see that Danny developed at least a truce with Wulf. She headed down to ask what they were gonna do now but before she could say anything Jack interrupted her.

          "Alright nobody move!" he exclaimed and pulled out a very tangled Fenton Fisher. "As soon as I get this thing untangled, you three beasties are going down."

          "Don't worry. He's not much of a threat," Danny assured Wulf.

          "If his mom was here then we'd be in trouble," Sasha added. As if on cue a targeting laser appeared on Wulf's head.

          "Vere," the ghost said.

          Hurrying before Maddie blasted Wulf and the rest of them up Danny and Sasha took Wulf and began to fly him away from the scene. If they were going to figure out what was going on than they needed a safe place to question Wulf.

* * *

          The safe place the two ended up taking Wulf was Tucker's house, much to Tucker's dismay.

          "I think this is a really bad idea," Tucker complained.

          "Well, he can't stay at Danny's house with it being Ghostkateer central. And my place is too close to the craziness," Sasha pointed out.

          "Besides you're the only one of us who sort of understands him," Danny pointed out. "I gotta go get my Fenton Thermos out of my locker. In the meantime, see if you can find out what Walker's up to."

          "And this is why I like my small containment attachment. It's always in my pocket so I never forget it," Sasha smiled smugly. Danny glared at Sasha before flying through the roof, leaving them to deal with Wulf.

          "So, what's Walker up to? Kiel estas Walker?" Tucker asked Wulf. Once he replied Tucker started laughing a hint of nervousness in his voice.

          "You have no idea what he just said do you?" Sam asked.

          "Not a clue," Tucker answered.

          "Maybe we should try and get the collar off him then. If we can't understand him then at least we can get the collar off and stop Walker from shocking him," Sasha suggested.

          Being the one to take initiative, Sasha walked up to Wulf. Once she touched the collar though Wulf snapped at her, causing Sasha to stumble back and put out a shield of shadows out of instinct, not wanting to get bit. Wulf reeled back himself, scared by her shadow shield.

          "Nigra Koro!" Wulf exclaimed, sounding extremely scared.

          "What did he say?" Sam asked Tucker.

          "He said 'Black Heart'. Huh, wonder what that means," he answered.

          Sasha tensed. She instantly dissipated her shadow shield. Her hands shook a little bit as she held out her hands and looked at them. Horror was written on her face as her mind started playing tricks on her. Black veins started spreading across her hands as shadows began to stain her skin. A small scream of fear left Sasha's mouth before she summoned up the light. Instantly the shadows engulfing her hands disappeared. This caused the others to jump. Sam and Tucker stared at her worried while Wulf looked watched her, a bit less scared than he was but still felt unease around Sasha, uncertain what to think of the ghost girl.

          "Sasha, are you alright?" Sam asked, walking over to her friend to make sure that she was alright.

          "I… I… I'm sorry, I need to go home," she apologized, her breathing a bit panicked.

          Tucker and Sam watched as Sasha jetted out of Tucker's house. Beads of tears formed in her eyes and Sasha hurriedly flew home, not caring about the other ghosts lurking around. Panic had started building, waiting to explode. When she finally arrived at her house the tears started falling. She didn't care though, what she wanted the most was her mom. She found her instantly, her mother sitting in the living room, working on some ghost tech that could help keep the invading ghosts at bay. Her mother was surprised and let out a small groan as Sasha flung herself into her mom's embrace, transforming out of her ghost form.

          "Sasha! What's wrong?!" she asked concerned, noticing her daughter sobbing into her shoulder.

          "The shadows started spreading over my hands. They started taking over," Sasha cried. Her mother's arms instantly wrapped around Sasha, hugging her closely.

          "Oh, Sasha. Oh, honey. It's alright, you're safe. You're safe. You're in control. You're safe. He's not here. He can't hurt you. You're safe," her mom whispered into her hair, trying to calm her daughter down.

          But Zoe knew that it would take more than assuring words. When Sasha got like this it would always take a full night for her to be alright again. For the most part. All Zoe could do was hold onto her daughter and let her cry, assuring her that she was safe. And eventually, the tears would exhaust her and Sasha would fall into a nice deep sleep, where her continuing nightmares wouldn't be able to follow her.

* * *

          It was the sunlight coming in through her bedroom window the next morning that woke Sasha up. The girl let out a groan as she stretched. She was a bit surprised to find herself in her room, not thinking that her mom was still able to carry her. That wasn't the only thing that confused her however as the light coming in had a green glow to it. Walking over to her window Sasha looked out and saw that the Fenton's had put up an anti-ghost shield which managed to cover their house and the Lucas's.

          "That's gonna be a problem when I have to leave," Sasha muttered to herself.

          She discovered another problem when Sasha caught a glimpse of herself in the window reflection. She grimaced. Sasha was about to go clean herself up when she heard her name being called. Looking back out her window Sasha spotted Danny, Sam, and Tucker looked at her from Danny's window, opposite of her own. Concern etched on their faces once they spotted her. Her typical wavy brown hair was a mess, her clothes disheveled, but what concerned them the most was her puffy red eyes and the dark bags that hung underneath them. Sasha winced as soon as she noticed her friends' reactions. She wanted nothing more than to go hide underneath her blankets but she knew that would just make them worry more. So instead she opened her window to talk to them.

          "Hey guys, what's up?" she asked.

          "Sasha… are you okay?" Danny asked. It was the first time in a past few days that he forgot that they were fighting, that he was mad at Sasha for ignoring him. Now, looking at her, seeing that something was clearly wrong made him push those previous things aside.

          "I'm fine," she tried to push aside. "Just had a rough night."

          "Is this because of what Wulf said last night?" Sam asked.

          "Wulf? What did he say?" Danny questioned.

          "Can we move past this? We have more important things to worry about than Wulf's gibbering. Especially when they have nothing to do with what Walker is planning," Sasha interrupted, desperately trying to move away from what Wulf said. The trio on the other side exchanged looked before turning back to Sasha.

          "I'm guessing you haven't seen the news," Tucker replied.

          "No," Sasha answered.

          "Walker is possessing the Mayor and not only did he give all policing and security decisions to my dad but he's blaming all of the ghosts invading on me," Danny caught her up.

          "So, what's the plan then?" Sasha asked.

          "We need to stop Walker and his goons from possessing people and try to get the town on our side," Danny explained.

          "Then you better shut down the anti-ghost shield. We've got work to do," Sasha told him and then transformed into her ghost self, erasing all the tiredness she felt and looked for the moment.

* * *

          "Order! Order! All in favor of declaring martial law, and allowing the completely competent Jack Fenton to mobilize a massive ghost hunt, please say," the Walker possessed Mayor tried to tell the town. But he didn't get to finish as Sasha and Danny came flying down through the ceiling.

          "I might be too young to vote, but I'm casting one anyway!" Danny interrupted.

          "You people have to listen to us. We're on your side," Sasha begged everybody.

          "You're not fooling anybody, ghost kids! You are going down!" Jack yelled at them and pulled out a still tangled Fenton Fisher. "As soon as I untangle this thing!"

          Danny turned to Sasha to ask her a quick question. "What's the likelihood that my parents are possessed?"

          "I'd say slim," she answered.

          "Great," Danny muttered sarcastically.

          The two were interrupted as Maddie Fenton fired a laser at them. They dodged, hiding behind a bench for cover as the crowd full of people headed into a panic, hurriedly trying to exit the building. Danny was soon pulled through the ground however by the possessed Mayor, pulling him into the basement of the town hall.

          "Help! The Ghost Boy is kidnapping me!" the possessed Mayor shouted before the two completely disappeared underground.

          Sasha flew after them into the basement and discovered Danny fighting off several possessed people while trying to reach his thermos. Luckily for Danny, Wulf had also come to the rescue, taking care of the ghosts possessing Dash and Principal Ishiyama, returning them back to normal and causing their bodies to sink to the ground unconscious. It was when Walker, possessing the Mayor tried to attack Danny once more that Sasha was able to step in and help.

          "Not so fast Walker!" Sasha exclaimed and sent an ectoblast at the Mayor, flinging Walker out of his body and knocking the Mayor unconscious. Pissed off Walker went to attack her instead but Sasha called up some shadows to help her out in the fight. This caused Walker to back away quite a bit.

          "Those shadows… I've only ever known one ghost who could control shadows like that," Walker said, sounding a bit scared. "I can't believe the rumors are true. I never thought that Black Heart would take an apprentice."

          Sasha tensed. Just thinking about him made Sasha want to go running back to her mom like she did the previous night. But she couldn't. Not when she had to help defend the town from the ghost in front of her. And she had an advantage. Walker was scared. He was scared of Black Heart and in turn her. Sasha straightened up, trying to look intimidating.

          "So you've met him then, huh? You were foolish enough to cross his path?" Sasha chuckled darkly. "Tell me, did you try and lock him up in your silly little prison. That must have gone well. I'm surprised you escaped with whatever life you might have. Seeing as you've met him then you know it's not in your best interest to mess with him or those associated with him."

          Playing into the dark persona she was sending out Sasha commanded the shadows to wrap around Walker, slowly trying to consume him. The ghost let out a shout of terror before repeating "No" over and over again. With her target secured Sasha took aim with her containment unit.

          "Goodbye, Walker. I hope you learned not to mess with me or my friends again," Sasha threatened.

          In one swift movement, Sasha sucked Walker, screaming, into her containment unit. Relieved that the threat was gone, Sasha let out a shaky breath, her body sagging a bit. She looked back to check on how Danny was doing and saw him and Wulf staring at her, Danny in confusion and Wulf in horror. Before she had time to say anything Maddie Fenton popped up with a gun that shot portable ghost portals. She instantly took aim at Danny but it was Wulf who took the shot.

          "Wulf! No!" Danny exclaimed.

          "Friend! We'll meet again," Wulf spoke in English to Danny. He glanced worryingly at Sasha before disappearing into the Ghost Zone.

          Sasha grabbed hold of Danny's hand and flew them out of the basement and away from town hall. If there was one thing she knew about his mom is that given a second shot she wouldn't miss. To keep them safe she dragged them up onto the roof of her house where they both transform back into their human selves. Away from the chaos, Danny looked at Sasha.

          "What… what happened back there? What was Walker talking about? Who's Black Heart? And why were you acting like a whole other person when Walker mentioned him," he questioned. "Sasha, I need answers."

          "I can't give you any," Sasha told him, wanting to flee into her bedroom.

          "You can't or you won't? Is this just gonna be like the questions I asked you about how you became a ghost? Are you just gonna ignore these too? Darn it, Sasha, at least tell me about Black Heart and why Walker is so scared of him," Danny demanded.

          "I… I…," Sasha stuttered as her body began to shake, panic rising fast. "It's too much."

          Anger turned to worry once again which only increased as Sasha sank to her knees. Her breathing started becoming erratic as she closed her eyes and tried desperately to calm herself down to no success. Danny met her down on the ground, gently taking hold of her shoulders.

          "Woah, hey! Hey, breathe. Sasha, breathe," Danny instructed. Trying to listen to him, Sasha grabbed hold of Danny's arms to help anchor herself and focused on his own breathing to try and regulate her own. It took a while but they eventually got her breathing back to normal, semi-calming Sasha down. After seeing how violently she reacted after he confronted her, Danny felt bad. "I'm sorry. I didn't think my questions would upset you so much."

          "I'm sorry, too," Sasha apologized. "I shouldn't have started ignoring you just because you started asking questions I don't like. It was immature of me. I'm sorry. But, Danny, you have to understand. Those questions… they're hard for me to talk about. They deal with the most miserable, horrible things that happened in my life. Some that still give me panic attacks."

          "Wow, I… never knew it could be that bad," Danny said.

          "Well, I hadn't really given you an explanation for you to understand," Sasha replied.

          "But I do now. Even if it did take a while," Danny joked. A small laugh escaped Sasha's mouth, causing a slight smile to appear on his own face.

          "Thank you, Danny," Sasha replied.

          Happy with where their conversation went Sasha went to stand up but stumbled a bit, exhausted by not only the fighting from earlier but the emotional rollercoaster that her and Danny just experienced. Danny was quick to catch her.

          "Looks like you need some rest," he said. Picking Sasha up in her arms Danny flew her down to her room and placed Sasha on her bed. "Get some sleep. Oh, and Sasha, any time you want to talk to me, I'll be here to listen. I might not have the sweets that you do but I'll be there"

          "Will do, Danny," Sasha smiled and then settled into bed.

          The ghost boy took one last glance at his friend and then flew over to his house, happy that their fight ended with more understanding.


	8. Ghostly Jealously

          "So how was the water park?" Sasha asked as her and her friends walked through the halls of Casper High, Danny trying his best to hide behind them. She was unable to go with them during the weekend, not having the funds to do so. Sam offered to pay for her ticket but Sasha declined. It never felt good taking handouts from friends, no matter how rich they were. And although it sucked not being able to hang out with her friends Sasha was able to sit down and add the Wicked soundtrack that Xavier let her borrow to her iPod. "And why does Danny look so paranoid?"

          "It was a disaster. Perhaps it was a good thing you didn't tag along, Sasha," Tucker answered, causing Sasha to raise an eyebrow, hoping he would elaborate.

          "Johnny 13's stupid shadow showed up and when Danny transformed back from ghost form Paulina saw him and found out about the whole ghost thing," Sam jumped in.

          "Shit," Sasha muttered in shock before turning to Danny. "If you're looking to hide out today feel free to use the nurse's office. My mom will totally understand."

          "I might take that offer," Danny said. "God, this sucks, Paulina knows I'm half ghost. I mean she says she's gonna keep my secret but how can I trust her? She's a girl. Girls can't keep secrets!" Danny ranted. As soon as his last sentence came out of his mouth Danny froze, realizing his mistake before turning to Sam and Sasha who were looking at him unimpressed. "Except for you guys, you guys are different."

          "Nice save," Sasha deadpanned.

          "Well, the good news is Paulina's kinda dim. As long as nothing else weird happens maybe she'll forget all about it," Sam assured Danny, ignoring his earlier comment.

          Just as Sam said that Sasha and Danny's ghost sense went off as Tucker went to take a drink from the water fountain. Johnny 13's shadow popped out of the fountain causing the rest of the students to scream and run away in terror.

          "So that's where the town sewage goes, I knew it," Sam noted.

          "Ugh, gross, I use those to fill up my water bottle," Sasha gagged.

          Jumping into action Danny and Sasha hid behind Sam and Tucker and transformed into their ghost sides. They flew through the halls, catching up to the shadow.

          "You're making it really hard for me to keep a low profile," Danny growled at the ghost who ended up punching Danny through the ceiling and out through the roof of the school. Sasha followed them, charging up some light in her hands.

          "I think it's time I brought a little light back into your life," Sasha smirked. Bringing the balls of light together Sasha created a beam of light and aimed it directly at the shadow. The ghost hissed in pain before disintegrating.

          "Nice job," Danny complemented, having recovered.

          "All in a day's work," Sasha smiled.

          The two returned back to the school, Danny disappearing into a locker while Sasha disappeared into the girl's bathroom in order to transform back. Walking out of the restroom Sasha was greeted with the sight of Paulina congratulating Danny on a job well done in defeating the ghost. It looked like she wasn't forgetting about Phantom anytime soon. Thing's only got weirder when Mr. Lancer came to scold Danny on missing out on recent detention duty and Paulina stuck up for him, explaining why he was late.

          "He was with me. We're dating now!" Paulina declared to practically the whole school. Everyone in earshot gasped at the news. The popular girl deciding to date one of the freaks. It was unheard of. Danny smiled though as Paulina clung to his arm, looking at him with these dreamy eyes that made Sasha want to barf.

          "This certainly ups your street cred, Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer smiled before turning to Tucker and throwing the stack of erasers into his arms. "Mr. Foley, you're not dating anyone out of your league, you can knock the erasers together. You two lover birds enjoy lunch."

          Watching Danny and Paulina head off to the lunch room Sasha and Sam glared at them, but mainly Paulina still hanging off Danny's arm. And while Sam's glare was filled with disgust, Sasha's glare was filled with rage. With arms full of blackboard erasers Tucker easily picked up on his friend's discomfort with the scene.

          "You guys okay?" he asked.

          "Oh, yeah I'm great. It's not like the most disgustingly, nasty, popular girl just suddenly decided she's attracted to the one who she's happily bullied for the longest time just because she knows he's the one saving the town from all the ghosts trying to invade it. Yeah, I love that that bitch is using one of my best friends and that he's too blinded by her pretty face to notice. But yeah, it's great seeing him so happy," Sasha ranted before walking off towards the lunchroom herself, knowing very well that their sitting arrangements were gonna change thanks to Paulina's big announcement.

          "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen Sasha so pissed off. And that's saying a lot since we've seen her and Danny mad at each other twice," Tucker commented as him and Sam watched her go.

          "Well, what she said is true and I hate it also. I think it's because she's become so protective of us," Sam replied.

          "What do you mean?" Tucker asked confused.

          "Remember when you were trying to get with Valerie even though she was just using you to get more info on ghosts? Sasha became super defensive when she thought you'd out her mom about her ghost knowledge," Sam brought up.

          "Yeah, she threatened to kill me," Tucker remembered.

          "Well, now we're in that category of important people to her that Sasha will defend to the death. If she senses that someone is messing with us or using us for their own gain then she won't be happy. That's what's happening now with the whole Paulina and Danny situation," Sam explained.          

          "Sam! Tuck! Come on! Don't leave me alone while that is going on," Sasha called out to them, already having got a glance at the new couple and was repulsed.

          Sam shot Tucker a see what I mean look before the two headed into the lunchroom. And besides all the staring the new couple was getting the three saw even more changes happening as Dash reluctantly walked up to Danny.

          "Well, as much as it pains me to say this, Fenton, now that Paulina likes you you're officially a cool kid," he informed Danny.

          "Officially? Like a club?" Danny asked excitedly.

          "Not like a club,  _a club_ ," Dash said annoyed and then muttered to Paulina. "He's kinda dim, isn't he?" Turning back to Danny Dash began to hand him all sorts of stuff. "Here's your membership packet, and this is Mikey, he'll be doing your homework from now on."

          "Hi, Danny," the geeky kid greeted.

          "Don't talk to him, you're nowhere near cool enough," Dash scolded and tossed Mikey into a table before turning back to Danny and Paulina. "And here's your hall pass card. After the hall monitor stamps it ten times you get a free frozen yogurt. Welcome to the A-List, jerk… uh, I mean pal."

          "Hey, Fenton's cool now? I thought we didn't have room for new members?" Kwan questioned.

          "Kwan, old pal of mine, I have some bad news," Dash said to the football player before breaking it to him that he was out of the group.

          Kwan ran out of the room, tears in his eyes, while Dash took a seat at Danny and Paulina's table along with all the other A-Listers. Sam and Tucker looked over at Sasha, surprised to hear a low growl coming from their friend.

          "Should we head over…?" Tucker went to ask.

          "Don't bother, we're clearly not 'cool' enough," Sam interrupted.

          "Then where are we gonna sit?" Tucker questioned.

          "Come on, I know a place," Sasha frowned and then led them over to where Xavier and his theatre friends were. "Hey, Xavier, would you guys mind if we sit with you?"

          "Is this that girl you were telling us about?" one of his friends asked. "The girl with the great voice?"

          "She sure is," Xavier confirmed.

          "Then grab a seat, you and your friends are definitely welcome," the girl smiled.

          Sasha gave the girl a small nod and slid in next to Xavier while Sam and Tucker took their place across from them. The three tried to be polite in answering any questions the rest of the table had for them, them mainly being for Sasha, but every once in a while, Sam, Sasha, and Tucker would glance over at Danny and Paulina. Tucker would look at the scene with envy, Sam with disdain, and Sasha with an angry protective eye.

* * *

          It had been a week of being ignored by Danny as he hung out with no one but Paulina. Sasha hung out more with Xavier while Kwan managed to snag a way in with Sam and Tucker because they felt sorry for him. Sasha felt sorry for Sam and Tucker however as they dealt with the football player trying to fit in with them and failing significantly. She was doing a bit better, hanging out with Xavier more was fun, the two of them bonding over more musicals. He opened up to her about his dream roles, wanting so bad to play Jean Valjean and Anthony from Sweeny Todd, even though he wished he had the vocal range for Sweeny himself. But she couldn't spend all time with Xavier as he had a special someone himself who he was determined to spend enough time with. It was in those times by herself that Sasha was reminded what was going on with Danny and Paulina and became instantly frustrated again. That frustration only increased when she saw that Star, Paulina's old best friend, was ordering Tucker around like her relationship slave. Sasha tried to avoid them as best she could, not being able to take the sight of her friends being used, even if they were happy about it. She hoped that home would be a good place to do so but one look out the window at Danny carrying Paulina towards his house in his ghost form had Sasha screaming.

* * *

          Danny set the Kitty possessed Paulina down on a chair in his basement while he floated above her, looking annoyed.

          "Look, Danny, I didn't want to cause you any trouble," Kitty-Paulina said.

          "You're about eight shadow attacks too late," he replied unimpressed. "What's the story?"

          Kitty-Paulina sighed before beginning to recount her story. "It's like this. Very since Johnny modified his bike so it can come here I've been nagging him to take me back. The city sights were so exciting, but unfortunately, Johnny was taking in the sights too. And by sights, I mean every single girl in town. I remembered how much Johnny couldn't stand you so you were the perfect person to make him jealous. I was originally gonna try and overshadow your friend, that one that Johnny was gonna use to bring me into the human world. You like her, don't you? Johnny told me how protective you got over her when he was planning to use her as the backup."

          "Sasha?!" Danny squeaked. "I… well… uh… Just get back to the story!" Kitty-Paulina shot him a look, saying that he totally liked her before continuing.

          "Unfortunately, she wasn't there with you so I was gonna settle on overshadowing that goth chick you hang out with but ended up in this body instead. Go fig, but the good news is you like her too. Johnny's furious, I'm pretty, you're popular, everybody wins."

          "Except for Paulina," Danny pointed out. "You realize you're gonna have to stop this right."

          "Maybe. Or maybe Paulina will slip up and tell the whole town that Danny Fenton is the ghost boy," Kitty-Paulina threatened. Seeing that she had him beat Kitty-Paulina got up from the chair and headed out. "See you at lunch tomorrow, boyfriend."

          All Danny could do was watch her leave, wondering what he could do to try and fix this. He really needed to talk to his friends and apologize for ignoring them throughout the whole thing. He'd just have to leave the whole Kitty wanting to possess Sasha because Kitty thought Danny liked her out of his explanation. Blush appeared on his face thinking about that. No, there was no way he'd tell her that.

* * *

          Sasha was surprised when Sam pulled her over to a table during lunch before she could join Xavier and his theatre friends. She was even more surprised to see that Tucker and Danny were at the table that Sam was pulling her towards.

          "Wow, it's a surprise seeing you here," Sasha said to Danny. "Where's your girlfriend?"

          "Hopefully stuck in the lunch line," he replied, tensing when Sasha brought up Paulina.

          "Trouble in paradise?" Sasha laughed dryly. It was around the time Sasha guessed things would go downhill.

          "I'm losing my mind," he admitted. "I mean, Paulina's fairly high maintenance…"

          "Really, we hadn't noticed," Sam piped in.

          "Yeah, but worse, she's being controlled by a ghost with a crush on Danny," Tucker told them.

          "Wait, what!?" Sasha exclaimed.

          "Tucker, Kitty doesn't have a crush on Danny. She's using him to make Johnny jealous," Sam said, having ignored Sasha's outcry.

          "Okay, okay, hold it! We're a team here remember? And as part of that team I would really appreciate it if I was given a rundown of the situation at hand," Sasha said.

          "You're right, I'm sorry," Danny apologized.

          "Well that sentence sounds nice," Sasha smirked. "So, we're dealing with Johnny-the-creep 13's girlfriend trying to make him jealous by using you to do it? And I'm guessing she's holding your secret over your head so that you corporate?"

          "Pretty much," Danny confirmed.

          "Hmm," Sasha pondered before coming up with an idea of how they might be able to fix things. "I have an idea on how you can fix this whole thing, but it's kinda risky."

          "Danny!" the Kitty possessed Paulina cried out as she searched throughout the schoolyard. "Has anyone seen my Danny?"

          The four grimaced hearing the words come out of her mouth. Danny, Sam, and Tucker's more so in fear of being found while Sasha's was more so of disgust. Danny instantly turned invisible to try and hide from her long.

          "Risky it good, let's hear it," Danny agreed.

          "You're gonna wanna find Johnny and convince him to take Kitty back," Sasha told him. "The kid that's been annoying him since we first fought, begging him to take his girlfriend back. He'll fall right into our hand and soon enough Kitty will be out of our hair and back with her creep of a boyfriend."

          "That sounds like it could work," Sam said.

          "Great. You guys can take care of that after school," Sasha nodded and went to head over to Xavier's table.

          "Wait, what about you? Aren't you gonna help after school?" Tucker asked confused.

          "Sorry guys, but one: You will never get me to go into the Ghost Zone, where Johnny probably is. And two: I promised Xavier to help him plan a nice picnic in the park. He's trying to be romantic after his beau had a hard week." Sasha explained. "I'll be there for when the plan goes down though so text me the details."

          She waved her friends goodbye before walking towards Xavier's table, only to walk right into Paulina.

          "Oh, Sasha, have you seen Danny anywhere?" she asked.

          Sasha could feel her friends' eyes on her, waiting to hear what she'd say. "Sorry, Paulina, but in case you haven't noticed ever since you and Danny got together we haven't really hung out much. You're gonna have to find him on your own," she answered, glaring at the girl. The Kitty possessed Paulina just glared back at her.

          "You're just jealous because I got to him first, aren't you huh? Shy little pathetic Sasha Lucas is jealous because I got Danny Fenton before she could. Trust me, you're terrible at hiding your embarrassed blush. How pathetic, the freak couldn't even get a freak. And now you never will," she replied.

          "Go fuck yourself, Paulina," Sasha hissed and then stormed off. She couldn't wait until Kitty was gone. Then she could deal with Paulina's regular pathetic insults and not ones that cut so deeply that that one did.

* * *

          Sasha stood, hiding behind some trees in the park. Danny apparently took inspiration from Xavier and decided to set up a picnic for Kitty to help with his and Johnny's plan. Well, it was more so Johnny's. Danny texted her saying that Johnny would take care of the most of it and that all they needed to do was show up in case something went wrong. Sasha was hoping that wouldn't be the case as Xavier's date was supposed to start soon and she didn't want Johnny and Kitty's relationship problems ruining it. But all she could do right now was wait and watch Danny and Kitty's 'date'.

          "Oh, Danny this is so romantic," Kitty gushed.

          "Anything for you," Danny said.

          "Hey, Sasha," Sasha heard from behind her. Turning around she was surprised to see Xavier.

          "Xavier, hey, what are you doing here?" Sasha asked.

          "What I can't say hi to one of my greatest friends?" he asked.

          "Well no, but I thought you had a date," Sasha pointed out.

          "Not for a little bit, and I thought that I could hang out with you until it did," he told her. Sasha looked at him a bit confused. From what Xavier had told her he was really excited for his date and was probably gonna be nervously waiting at his set up until it started. So, if that was the case then why was he here with her. "Hey, is that Danny and Paulina? We should go over and say hi."

          Before Sasha could protest Xavier took her arm and lead them over to Danny and Paulina's blanket. The two were just as surprised to see them, Kitty possessed Paulina glaring once again at Sasha.

          "Hey, guys," Xavier greeted. "Lovely day to have some lovely ladies out isn't it?"

          "Xavier, I didn't know you would be here," Danny said, looking around to make sure his fellow high schooler wouldn't have to deal with the soon to be arriving Johnny 13.

          "Oh yeah, couldn't pass up this gorgeous day. Paulina, I'm sure you've met Sasha seeing as she's friends with Danny," Xavier continued.

          "Yeah, we've met," she answered between her teeth.

          "She's amazing, isn't she? You're amazing you know that, right," Xavier complemented.

          "Yeah, you tell me that every Tuesday in the choir room," Sasha replied, still confused as to why he brought them over there.

          "Say, since we're all out in enjoying the day why don't we turn this picnic into a double date," Xavier suggested.

          "What? Xavier but what about Gabe?" Sasha questioned, wondering if Xavier was out of his mind.

          "Forget about Gabe. What I wanna do is spend the day with my best girl," Xavier smiled. He pulled Sasha close to him before planting a big kiss on her lips. Her eyes widened in shock before pushing him off her and going to yell at him.

          "Xavier, what the hell is wrong with…Johnny?" Sasha gasped, seeing as Xavier's gleaming black eyes switched to a ghostly green.

          Being found out the Johnny possessed Xavier switched his voice over to Johnny's to really show that it was true. "Yeah, you got me. It took me a little bit but after Kitty over there showed me that you can get the guy, or in my case girl, of your dream by just possessing someone I thought I'd give it a try. After all, if Kitty can have that loser, now I can have you," Johnny said, pulling Sasha close to him once again. "Now, how 'bout another kiss, doll face?"

          Before Sasha could try to push the Johnny possessed Xavier away both Danny and the Kitty possessed Paulina protested.

          "Stay away from her!"

          "Stay away from him!"

          Kitty jumped out of Paulina's body and tackled Sasha while Danny transformed into his ghost side and tackled Johnny out of Xavier's body, leaving both Xavier and Paulina barely conscious on the ground. Sasha transformed out of instinct as Kitty held her down.

          "You stay away from him you floozy," Kitty growled at Sasha. "Johnny is mine!"

          "You can have him," Sasha growled right back, using an ectoblast to push Kitty off her.

          "I teamed up with you to get your girlfriend back, not for you to try and trick Sasha into dating you, you creep!" Danny shouted at Johnny.

          "Hey, I saw an opportunity and I took it," Johnny shrugged. Hearing this Sasha got up and headed over to Johnny. Pushing Danny aside she picked Johnny up by his shirt collar and glared at him.

          "Well how about you take this," she hissed and then punched him in the face, sending him flying back towards where Kitty had landed.

          Seeing her boyfriend hurt Kitty went even more into rage mode and went to attack Sasha but Johnny held her back.

          "You little bitch!" Kitty shrieked at Sasha. Sasha was ready to take her on but Danny stepped between her and the other ghost, trying to take control back of the situation.

          "Forget about her, babe," Johnny said to Kitty picking her up and beginning to pull her over to his motorcycle. "Let's go home, get away from these losers."

          "That sounds great," Kitty agreed.

          The two happily jumped onto Johnny's motorcycle, shooting glares filled with daggers at Danny and Sasha. Revving up his engine Johnny pressed a button on a device he rigged to his bike, causing a portal into the Ghost Zone to open up. Before they were fully through the portal Danny shot an ectoblast at the device, destroying it so that Johnny and Kitty wouldn't be able to open up any more portals. That was gonna be a fun thing for them to discover. With those two gone and the portal closed, Danny and Sasha turned to each other.

          "I'm so sorry about that, I didn't think Johnny would try anything," Danny apologized.

          "It's not your fault he's a creep that can't be trusted. Thanks for coming to my rescue though once we figured out what was going on," Sasha said.

          "Not that you needed it. Seeing you punch him in the face was so satisfying," Danny told her.

          "Yeah, it really was," Sasha agreed.

          Their conversation was cut short as both Xavier and Paulina came around, groggily sitting up. Sasha and Danny shot each other a concerned look before flying over to their respective person, Danny to Paulina and Sasha to Xavier.

          "Hey, you okay?" Sasha asked.

          "Yeah, what happened?" Xavier asked confused.

          "You were possessed by a ghost who went around trying to kiss some girl," Sasha explained, not telling him that the girl was actually her.

          "Oh man, I really need to find her and apologize," Xavier groaned, feeling bad that he unwillingly tried to assault some poor girl.

          "Don't worry about it. I explained the whole situation to her and she forgave you. Wasn't your fault you got possessed by some creep of a ghost," Sasha assured him.

          Xavier let out a breath of relief. He still felt horrible but at least the girl forgave him. "Thanks, you're a real lifesaver. You know, the town was wrong about you. You and that ghost boy aren't that bad. It's just a shame I don't know what to call you," he said, thanking Sasha.

          "Shadow, you can call me Shadow," Sasha told him.

          "Thank you, Shadow," he smiled at her.

          "You're welcome," Sasha said and then caught sight of Xavier's boyfriend halfway through the park, running away in tears. "Ugh, you might wanna go apologize to someone else though."

          Xavier's eyes widened once he saw what she was referring to. He thanked Sasha once again before running off towards Gabe, calling out to his boyfriend to hear him out. Sasha winced, hoping that their relationship would work out.

          "Uh, hey, Shadow, I think it's about time we head out," Danny said, grabbing hold of her arm to get her attention. One look at the adoration in Paulina's eyes as she looked at Danny explained everything. That girl was one second away from having a full-blown fangirl. Sasha nodded and the two flew off.

          "Thank you, Invis-o-Bill!" Paulina swooned as they flew away.

          "Invis-o-Bill?" Sasha questioned, amused.

          "Not all of us get the opportunity to create our hero name," Danny replied.

          "Actually, you just had your chance in correcting Paulina," Sasha pointed out. Danny groaned and facepalmed, realizing that she was right. "Don't worry, Phantom, I'm sure they'll get it right eventually."

          Danny smiled at her, finding it nice to hear Sasha call him Phantom. "Thanks, Shadow," he said.

* * *

          Returning to school the next day was awkward. With Danny no longer dating Paulina all his A-Lister status stuff was revoked, letting Dash happily beat him up again. But that wasn't the weirdest part. The weirdest part was finding a small shrine to Phantom in Paulina's locker, the popular girl cooing over it every time she opened her locker door.

          "Can you believe that Paulina's still in love but with the wrong me," Danny complained to his friends.

          "Welcome back to the fold, fellow loser," Sam smiled.

          "How's Xavier after the whole ordeal?" Tucker asked.

          "Well, Gabe ended up breaking up with him and he's been listening to the Next To Normal soundtrack in mourning," Sasha answered, remembered when Xavier called her last night, crying with the musical soundtrack blasting in the background.

          "I think he wants to know if he's fallen in love with Shadow like Paulina has with Phantom," Sam clarified.

          "Not to Paulina standards. I mean, he keeps a picture of Shadow in his locker now but I'm pretty sure he looks at her more so as a hero he looks up to than someone he wants to be in a relationship with," Sasha explained.

          "What makes you think that?" Tucker asked.

          "Because while he was venting to me last night he wished he could find the Phantom to his Shadow and that they're so cute together and wishes that he could have what they have," Sasha practically recited.

          "He thinks Phantom and Shadow are dating?!" Danny asked, his and the other's eyes widened in shock.

          "Yeah, he kinda ships us together. Your picture is also in his locker… next to mine… in a heart shaped frame," Sasha reluctantly explained.

          "Us two… dating?" Danny laughed uncomfortably.

          "Yeah, ridiculous, right?" Sasha joined in, laughing just as uncomfortably as Danny. "Lunch sounds good now, right?"

          "Yeah, that sounds great," Danny agreed.

          "Great," Sasha nodded.

          Tucker and Sam watched as their two friends headed towards the lunchroom, still laughing uncomfortably at the news while blush sneaked up onto their faces. They were so bad at hiding their feelings.

          "So, how long until they get together?" Sam asked.

          "I'd give it two months," Tucker answered.

          "Two months? You clearly don't know our friends that well. I give it at least six," Sam laughed dryly.

          "You wanna bet?" Tucker challenged as the two began heading towards the lunchroom to catch up with their friends.

          "Oh, you're on," Sam smiled.


	9. Mother-Daughter Weekend

          Team Phantom Shadow stood in the Fenton's basement, helping Danny run some drills to help him with his ghost powers. Tucker and Sam stood with a scanner and clipboard while Sasha hovered in her ghost form, observing him herself. Sure, Tucker and Sam had their own stats they wanted Danny to meet but as the only one in the room with experience being a half ghost, Sasha had her own qualifications Danny needed to meet. Currently, Danny was flying as fast as he could while Tucker tracked him with the speed scanner.

          "112 miles per. Lightin' up the speed gun, dude," Tucker informed him. Danny smirked and then moved onto the next drill. He easily went intangible and phased out through the wall and back through the ceiling before reappearing.

          "Intangibility, check," Sam said and took note on her clipboard.

          Hearing that Danny moved on and turned invisible. Sam and Tucker looked around confused as to where he went. "Danny?" Sam and Tucker asked confused. They looked over at Sasha hoping that she could give them more information.

          "He's still here, right?" Sam asked.

          Sasha tapped on her cuff, bringing up the built-in screen that her mother installed. She went to her ghost sensor that confirmed that Danny was still in the room. "Yeah, he's still here," Sasha answered.

          "Invisibility, check," Tucker said. He flinched as the invisible Danny overshadowed him.

          "Hi, I'm Tucker! Don't let the PDA, glasses, and lack of muscles fool you. I'm a stud," Danny said as Tucker before leaving his body.

          "I hate when you do that," Tucker commented.

          "Okay, hotshot, let's ramp it up," Sam challenged.

          She clicked a button on a remote, causing several rings to pop down from the ceiling while dart guns came out of the walls. Danny flipped through the rings while easily dodging the darts. After that cardboard ghosts popped up from the counter. He zapped them with ecto blasts, skipping over a pop up of Jazz before hitting the third ghost. Sasha couldn't help but roll her eyes as Danny zapped the Jazz one once he was finished with the others. The last part of the set up happened as metal barrier popped out of the floor. Danny used his intangibility and coasted right through them. Having gone tangible, he gave his friend a thumbs up and immediately slammed into a wall, falling to the floor.

          "Hi, I'm Danny Fenton! Don't let the concussion and bruises fool you, I need more practice," Tucker mocked him. Scowling Danny turned a patch of floor intangible causing Tucker to fall through it.

          Sasha rolled her eyes once again and then headed over to save Tucker. Upon her return, she turned to Danny. "He's not wrong you know. While you have improved significantly since the first time I met you there's still a long way you have to go. If you ever want a chance of sparing with me at full force or coming across your ghost specialty you have to admit when you messed up and work to better yourself," she told him.

          "I know, I'm trying," Danny said.

          "Well next time maybe try not to get cocky and pay attention to where you're going. Also, maybe try not to go back to blast the cardboard cutout of your sister," Sasha suggested. "But enough with that, let's just move onto the next drill."

          Danny nodded and got up off the floor. His three friends stood in a circle as they watched him concentrate, all of them curious as to what he was trying to do. Sweat creased his brow as they looked on. The three of them gasped as Danny managed to split his head into two separate heads.

          "Wow! You can eat a Nasty Burger and fries at the same time," Tucker commented.

          "Yeah. The problem is, I can only split myself this far," one of the Danny heads said.

          "Plasmius can turn into like four different Plasmius' at once. That's what this weekend is about," the other head pointed out before both of Danny's heads when back and forth.

          "Nonstop drills."

          "No homework."

          "No family."

          "No interruptions."

          "Can you split yourself at all?" Sam asked Sasha.

          "In all my years, I've only ever been able to make two copies of myself and the second one has always been the more unstable one. So, in reality, I've only been able to produce one stable copy of myself. It's not really something I like to do as it takes up way too much energy and if the copy gets hit in just the right way it would completely snap back into my body," Sasha explained. "It could take several decades to master something like that."

          "Great," Danny muttered, disappointment laced in his voice. "But then again that's all the more reason to practice."

          "Hey, Danny!" his mom shouted from on top of the basement stairs.

          The team looked around in alarm. Danny and Sasha instantly reverted back into their human forms, except because of Danny's attempt of splitting himself he was left with only one eye in his human form. He almost let out a scream in alarm but Sasha silenced him but putting her hand over his mouth and used her own powers to return his other eye before Mrs. Fenton came running down the stairs, a large smile brandished on her face with an invitation in her hand. Sasha instantly released her hold on Danny's mouth as the team tried to act normal.

          "Pack your bags! We're going to a mother-son science symposium in Florida! Doesn't that sound fun?" Maddie told her son. Danny instantly slumped, disappointed that his plans for the weekend were ruined by his mom.

          "Well there goes our plans," Sam muttered.

          "But hey, that means we get to hang out with you at least. Right, Sasha?" Tucker asked.

          "Yeah, perhaps we can finally finish up that poetry book," Sam suggested. Tucker and Danny couldn't help but roll their eyes, finding composing a poetry book boring. If they only knew that poetry book was a code word for Nova Super's first album they would be singing otherwise. And while finishing up recording the last few songs sounded tempting Sasha had another idea.

          "Actually, Mrs. Fenton reminded me of something. I haven't spent some real quality time with my mom since we moved here," Sasha pondered. "Maybe it's time for some mother-daughter bonding of my own."

          "Ah, that's so sweet," Maddie gushed while Sasha's friends groaned.

          "You two have fun on your trip!" Sasha wished Maddie and Danny before running out of the Fenton's basement.

* * *

          When Sasha ran into her house she went looking for her mother and found her in the basement working on a piece of ghost tech. Zoe Lucas instantly looked up from what she was doing when she heard the basement door slam open and was surprised to see her daughter after all Sasha had told her that she would be spending the weekend helping Danny with his ghost powers.

          "Hey, honey, do you and your friends need anything?" Zoe asked.

          "Actually, our training session got cut short as Mrs. Fenton is taking Danny on a weekend trip," Sasha informed her.

          "Oh, well what are you, Sam, and Tucker going to do then?" Zoe asked and went back to working on her tech.

          "I'm not sure what Sam and Tucker are gonna do but I was kinda hoping that we… could have ourselves a mother-daughter weekend," Sasha asked, a bit unsure. This time Zoe completely set down her gadget and turned herself in her seat to face her daughter.

          "Where is this coming from all of the sudden?" Zoe questioned. "Not that I wouldn't like to spend time with you but ever since we moved here you've been attached to the hip to your friends."

          "Well… that's just it. I realized that we haven't spent much quality time together since we moved here and thought that maybe this weekend we could change that," Sasha admitted.

          Zoe smiled sweetly at Sasha. She got up from her chair and brushed any dust off. "Alright then, mother-daughter weekend it is," Zoe agreed.

* * *

          Having lived their lives with a bank account fluctuating from homeless to getting by, the two were used to finding free activities to do. While their bank account was in the higher of the two, which would easily allow for them to attend a movie, Zoe and Sasha Lucas settled on spending their afternoon at the park which would include a picnic and stargazing later on that night. So, the two went to work, gathering the required elements for their mother-daughter weekend. First came the food. While Zoe quickly whipped up some sandwiches and a few snack bags of chips Sasha began baking. Her grandmother's recipe for chocolate chip cookies was a fast one and had been engrained in Sasha's mind since she was six, so whipping up a batch for their picnic would be a breeze.

          Zoe watched as her daughter stirred ingredients together, having finished her task not that long ago. She smiled seeing the serene look on Sasha's face. It was the calmest Sasha was when doing activities she was taught back at their old community center. Zoe always tried to have ingredients for whatever Sasha's fingers itched to make as with the constant moving and issues with money, baking was the only stable thing her daughter had for the most part. And then there was the guitar. When Sasha couldn't bake she would play, happily strumming away. That changed during Sasha's frightening period of depression thanks to the year with Spectra, having shoved the much-loved instrument in her closet. But after going to that concert with her friends all those months ago, hearing music leak into the hallway, it filled Zoe's heart with joy.

          "Moving to Amity Park was the best thing we ever did," Zoe thought to herself.

          While the location was teeming with ghosts – something neither Zoe or Sasha needed more of in their lives – it also provided the Lucas' so much more. It gave Zoe a stable job and pay, so much so that she was able to leave dingy apartments behind and get herself and Sasha a nice house. It provided friendly neighbors who, although a bit more than eccentric were the nicest people they had met in a while. Maddie had become such a good friend to her. A single tear welled up in her eye as Zoe was reminded just how similar Maddie was to her old friend Marie. The older woman quickly brushed it away, happy that Sasha was too busy with the cookies to notice.

          Sasha. Amity Park had done wonders for her. Zoe remembered before they moved here how Sasha would almost constantly be at her side. When she wasn't at school or fighting off ghosts her daughter practically clung to Zoe. And then the whole Spectra incident happened, pushing Sasha into this dark hole, driving her away from the small important things in her life. But Amity Park brought back her daughter. It brought back Sasha's smile and humor and love for playing music. It also brought Sasha what she'd been missing all her life: friends, a chance to be a teenager, someone who was just like her. For that, Zoe was grateful for Amity Park and the Fenton's, for bringing so much happiness to their family.

          "Alright," Sasha said, clapping flour off her hands once she got the tray of cookies into the oven. "while those are baking we should probably look for a basket and a nice blanket to lay on."

          "Good idea, kiddo," Zoe agreed.

          "Ugh, mom! I'm fourteen, I'm not a little kid anymore," Sasha complained.

          "I know, I know. But you'll always be my little girl," Zoe told her, pulling Sasha to her side so that she could kiss her forehead. The fourteen-year-old couldn't help chuckling a bit at the touching gesture. "Now come on, we better start looking so we have time to make it back before the cookies burn."

* * *

          Dinner at the park was nice, they managed to find a good spot where the shade covered them when the sun was up but would be a great spot to stargaze once the stars came out. As they ate the two talked about school. Sasha talked about how her classes were going, her getting through with a solid B average, and the complained about some of her classmates and teachers. Zoe couldn't help but laugh when Sasha pointed out to her that Mr. Lancer cursed in book titles. Her mother had her own encounters with Lancer on her journeys to the teacher's lounge for the occasional much needed cup of coffee. Zoe, in turn, talked about that the biggest supplies that she used during the school week were bandages and ice. Dash and his football friends really did send quite the number of students her way, something Sasha wasn't surprised about. She made her mother burst out into laughter once again when Sasha suggested she hand out cards to all of Dash's victims he sends to the nurses off and once they have ten punches on the card they get a free bouquet of lollipops. Silly conversations continued on into nightfall when Zoe and Sasha packed away their basket and laid down on the blanket, taking advantage of the empty park and the clear night to stargaze.

          It had been so long since the two had done this. The last time the Lucas's took the time to just look at the stars was four years ago when they first moved into their last apartment. With no clouds in sight, familiar constellations came out as if welcoming them back. Sasha couldn't help but think back to when she was first really shown the stars. It was when she was having a breakdown over her shadow powers, how she was beyond frightened of herself. Her powers over the shadows just reminded her of Black Heart, and if there was one thing she never wanted to be it was him. Zoe did her best to try and calm her daughter down but it wasn't until night time settled that she thought of something that could help. Zoe took Sasha outside and asked her to look up at the stars. She then explained that while the dark could be scary it also allowed was needed to see the stars. Without the dark, you couldn't appreciate the light. It calmed Sasha's worries, just looking up at the stars. After that Sasha discovered her powers of light. Her and her mother's times gazing up at the stars always created this comfort. It made them comfortable enough to talk about some things they typically wouldn't.

          "Hey, mom, do you think I should audition for the school musical?" Sasha asked.

          "Well sure, it sounds like it would be fun for you. And if sure your friend Xavier would be happy about that," Zoe answered.

          "But don't you think it would be selfish of me to do so?" Sasha continued to ask.

          "How would auditioning for the musical be selfish?" Zoe questioned.

          "Because I'm supposed to be out there fighting off ghosts. If I were to audition and get a part then I'd have to focus my time on auditions which would stop me from fighting off ghosts which would result in them taking over the town and then that would cause so much destruction and people would get hurt and…" Sasha ranted.

          "Sasha, honey, relax. That's not gonna happen," Zoe tried to tell her.

          "But what if it does?" Sasha asked worried.

          "Sasha, while you are a ghost hunter, you're a teenager first. You should get to experience things like something simple as auditioning for the school show. I wish you got more time to be a teenager. You've worked so hard over these years, growing up faster than you should have and deserve some normalcy in your life," Zoe said.

          "But what about my friends? Wouldn't they be mad that I've ditched them for play practice instead of ghost hunting?" Sasha questioned.

          "I'm sure your friends would understand. A besides, you've said that Danny has improved vastly since you first met him so he can take care of things while you're busy," Zoe assured her. "Do something for yourself, be a little selfish for once, it's what a teenager does."

          "I guess, I just worry about him sometimes. I know how difficult becoming part ghost has been for him," Sasha said.

          "I've noticed him do the same regarding you. It's cute how much you two care about each other. Makes me think that you might have yourself a crush," Zoe teased.

          Sasha was extremely thankful that her mother couldn't see the deep blush spreading across her face at the moment. "I… I don't know. Maybe. I'm not sure," she slightly stuttered.

          "Maybe?" Zoe questioned. It was pretty clear to her from viewing Sasha and Danny's interactions that the two did have a thing for each other.

          "Yeah, it's just… I do like Danny that way, I do, but I'm not sure if I like him for him or just because he's a half ghost like me," Sasha admitted.

          "Oh," Zoe said surprised. "Yes, I guess that would cause a bit of confusion. And I thought being a teenager would be confusing enough for you. It sounds like you just need to take the time to find out whether your feelings are true or not. But remember, if you need someone to talk to you can always come to me."

          "Thanks, mom. But that kinda reminds me of another issue I wanted to talk to you about," Sasha said.

          "Oh? And what might that be?" Zoe asked.

          "Are you lonely?" Sasha asked.

          "How could I be lonely when I have you?" Zoe answered, dodging the question Sasha was implying.

          "You know what I meant," her daughter said. "I don't think I've ever seen you date."

          "Well, it's been a bit difficult. No twenty something year old wanted to date the single mom. Especially none of the college students," Zoe explained.

          "But you're not looking at those twenty somethings anymore. People around your age now have matured enough to accept that you have a kid, and if they don't you don't want them anyway," Sasha told her.

          "You really seem to want me to date," Zoe laughed nervously.

          "Only if you want to. Look, I know how flaky I can be with the constant ghost fighting. And while you do have Mrs. Fenton to keep you company I can't help but feel like you want a real intimate relationship in your life. So, if you really wanna find a boyfriend then go for it. And don't worry about me, I just want to see you happy," Sasha explained.

          A small smile spread across Zoe's mouth. She pulled Sasha over to her side and gave her daughter a hug. "Thanks, kiddo," she replied.

          "Of course, Mom," Sasha smiled. "But if anyone hurts you just know that the likelihood of me kicking their ass is extremely high." Zoe chuckled, releasing Sasha from her grasp and letting her return to their original spots on the blanket.

          "Alright, if I'm gonna do this then where should I start? Amity Park doesn't really have that many places for singles like me to meet. The closest thing is the teacher's lounge and trust me when I say this, there aren't that many people there close to what I'm looking for. Mr. Lancer would be the closest but is still nowhere near my interest level," Zoe pondered.

          "That's good because although I said I'd be fine with whoever you dated I would strongly protest Mr. Lancer. I don't want that man getting close to the possibility of step-father level," Sasha replied, letting out a breath of relief.

          "Okay but that doesn't answer my original question," Zoe pointed out.

          "Maybe you should try online dating. You can talk to a potential guy on there, see if you're interested, and then either say goodbye and never speak to him again or plan to meet up for an actual date. That way you don't have to waste your time going out with flops," Sasha suggested.

          "Hmm, maybe I'll give it a try next weekend?" Zoe relented.

          "Next weekend? Why not when we get home?" Sasha questioned confused.

          "And ruin our mother-daughter weekend? No way," Zoe answered.

* * *

          The Lucas's slept in for the majority of Sunday morning, waking up only when the harsh sun sneaked through the curtains into their eyes. Sasha was sluggish to get up and out of bed though so when she finally came down for food she was surprised to find that her mother already made breakfast. Though what surprised her the most was what breakfast was.

          "Ice cream sandwiches?" she questioned. With the leftover cookies from yesterday, Zoe had pulled out some vanilla ice cream and used the cookies to sandwich a scoop together. Seeing Sasha up Zoe headed to the freezer where she pulled out an already made ice cream, cookie sandwich, handing it to Sasha.

          "In honor of our mother-daughter weekend," Zoe explained. "But don't go getting used to it. This is only a once in a blue moon thing."

          "Aren't you supposed to be an adult," Sasha teased before biting into her breakfast treat.

          "Even adults get tired of adulting and want to indulge in their childish side every now and then," Zoe defended herself.

          "So, ice cream for breakfast?" Sasha questioned.

          "Ice cream for breakfast," Zoe confirmed.

          "You have to be the best mom ever," Sasha said.

          "Damn straight," Zoe replied causing the two of them to get into a giggle fit.

          Their laughter was interrupted however as the two of them heard a helicopter landing right outside their house. The Lucas's shot each other a confused look before rushing over to their door. Flinging it open they saw that a helicopter had indeed landed right outside their door and that it was Mrs. Fenton who had flown it there. Both Zoe and Sasha's mouths fell open in shock as they shot each other another look before heading over to the helicopter to greet Maddie and Danny as they jumped out.

          "Wow, you two seem like you had an exciting weekend," Sasha commented.

          "Though I'm confused as to why you guys are back early. Wasn't the trip for the whole weekend?" Zoe asked.

          "Let's just say things didn't go as well as we thought it would and had to head home early," Maddie explained, leaving out as many details as she could.

          "You'll tell me everything later, right?" Sasha whispered to Danny.

          "Yeah," Danny answered. "Wait, are you guys eating ice cream sandwiches?"

          Sasha looked down at the semi-melting ice cream sandwich in her hand, having forgotten to put it down before they left the house. "Oh, yeah. My mom made them for breakfast or I guess brunch."

          "Your mom's pretty cool," Danny told her.

          "Thanks, I guess we both got lucky in that part," Sasha smiled.

          The two teens looked over at their mothers who were currently in a conversation of their own and smiled. They really did have great moms.


	10. Flour Children and First Albums

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "Don't Think Just Run" by Beth Crowley

          Sasha sat bored in her health science class with Tucker and Sam. The gym teacher had just assigned them a project in which people would pair up and take care of a flour sack together like it was a child. Sam and Tucker already formed a pair and Sasha was waiting on Danny so that he could be her partner. She couldn't help but be a bit worried though, noticing that Valerie was also a part of the missing classmates. After all, Valerie was sworn on hunting Danny down and even though Sasha believed more in Danny's abilities than Valerie's, the ex-popular still got lucky on occasion and the weapons she contained in her arsenal could do some major damage. Sasha stopped worrying however as the two of them came barreling through the door. The gym teacher smirked.

          "Fenton! Gray! Congratulations, you two stragglers are paired up for a special week-long health sciences project. I now pronounce you man, wife, and child," the gym teacher said, handing them a bag of flour dressed up as a baby.

          "I am so not kissing the bride," Danny said annoyed.

          "What makes you think you can," Valerie snapped back.

          Sasha just groaned, hating that the teacher's punishment lost her her partner. She looked around, trying to find who she'd be stuck with as a partner now that Danny was claimed but was confused to discover that there was no one left. "Um, excuse me. But there isn't anybody left for me to partner up with," Sasha informed the gym teacher.

          "Hmm, it appears you're correct. Looks like you'll just have to be a single parent," the teacher said and then dropped the flour baby on her desk.

          "Of course," Sasha muttered.

          Of course, the girl with the single parent would be made the only single parent in this week-long project. At least she didn't have to worry about another person screwing it up. With mostly everyone paired up and the flour children having been handed out the bell promptly rang, signaling the end of the period. People left in pairs figuring out how to carry the flour sack while Sasha set the sack carefully in her bag and followed Sam and Tucker out of the room and into the hall. Danny was quick to ditch Valerie with their sack before running up to his friends.

          "So, let me get this straight, we have to take care of a flour sack and pretend it's our baby?" Danny asked them.

          "It's supposed to teach us something about shared responsibility," Tucker told him.

          "Well that jumped out the window when I ended up with no partner," Sasha said, hacking away at the excuse they were given. "I already know how hard it is to be a single parent. I watched it every day of my life, I don't need a sack of flour to try and tell me that."

          "Sorry, about that. If I got here sooner I could've been your partner and you wouldn't have to deal with it by yourself," Danny apologized.

          "It's alright. At least I wasn't paired with an idiot who would just mess things up," Sasha assured him, referring to Dash and Kwan as they tossed their flour sack around like a football.

          "The only thing it's teaching me is how pointless this assignment is," Sam commented.

          "Not to mention, dangerous. Now I gotta spend a week playing house with an ecto-hating ghost-a-phob," Danny said looking over at Valerie.

          "Don't worry, Danny, Valerie doesn't know you're secret. And as far as she knows, you don't know hers," Sam said.

          "Besides, she can't be gunning for you if she's taking care of your special little floury sack of love," Tucker said and hugged his flour sack.

          "Though I do advise little ghost action for the two of us this week to make things a bit easier," Sasha suggested.

          "Noted," Danny agreed.

          "Danny and Valerie, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N…" Tucker started to tease but Valerie stopped him, ripping his hat from his head and shoving it into his mouth.

          "You dropped your hat," she said, unimpressed.

          Tucker just huffed, annoyed and then dragged Sam away, saying that their child didn't need to see such negativity. Sam just went after him, confused as to why her friend was taking things so seriously. Sasha however, backed away enough to give Danny and Valerie a bit of space but stood close to watch what was about to transpire. The first thing that happened was Valerie dropping their flour sack between the two.

          "Let's make this quick. I don't like you and you don't like me," she said bluntly.

          "Cool, I'm glad we worked that out," Danny replied sarcastically.

          "So, I took the time to chart out our responsibilities," Valerie said, pulling out a chart that had Danny doing the majority of the work.

          "You mean mine," Danny pointed out annoyed.

          "Look, unlike you, I'm busy. So busy my grades are in the toilet and I really need to pass this class," Valerie tried to argue. "Maybe you can team up with your girlfriend. I know you would have rather partnered up with her anyway. So, the two of you can think about it like having twins."

          "I'm not his girlfriend," Sasha blushed.

          "Whatever," Valerie waved off. It was then her and Danny's flour sack started crying, which set Sasha's off. Thinking quickly, she took her own flour child out of her bag and began rocking it to calm it down. "What is that?"

          "You can't just set it down," Danny scolded her, picking up his flour child and began to mimic Sasha's actions. "These things need constant motion."

          "See, it is that kind of parental attention to detail that will get me a good grade… or else," Valerie threatened as she walked away, leaving Danny with their flour sack. He just glared at her.

          "Wow, some wife you got there," Sasha commented sarcastically and then returned her flour sack to her bag, having gotten it to stop crying.

* * *

          Danny wasn't having much luck getting his flour baby to stop crying as it continued after school when he and the rest of Team Phantom Shadow headed off to the Nasty Burger.

          "I've been a parent for all of one day and I'm already down to a C-," he complained, rocking his child back and forth like crazy.

          "Life could be worse, you could be that guy," Sam pointed out, turning their attention to the Nasty Burger mascot who was being harassed by small children.

          "Sure, but it'd be nice if I could just get the kid to stop crying," Danny replied.

          "Then don't rock it so aggressively," Sasha said. Sighed she got up from her seat and walked over to Danny, positioning herself behind him so that she could show him the right technique. The dark-haired boy couldn't help but blush a bit. "You're trying to calm it, not give the poor thing brain damage." Following Sasha's advice, Danny fell into Sasha's rocking rhythm. He was surprised when she started humming but wasn't able to question her about it as his flour sack finally stopped crying. "There we go."

          "Wow, you seem to know a lot about this," Danny observed.

          "Well, I kinda saw how it was done at my old community center. There was a daycare there that my mom would leave me at when she was at work or class that took care of all different ages. I'd see how the person in charge would calm babies and toddlers down. Besides, I know when I'm upset a good hug and music go a long way," Sasha informed him.

          With one problem taken care of another one arose as Danny and Sasha's ghost senses went off. Looking around they spotted the source to be the Box Ghost, a device over his mouth and a rope tied around his midsection that was bouncing him up and down next to the restaurant. The device over his mouth didn't stay there long though as he quickly spit it out when he noticed them looking at him.

          "Beware!" he moaned, causing all the Nasty Burger customers to panic.

          "Oh man, can you watch the kids for us?" Danny asked, referring to his and Sasha's flour babies.

          "What do I look like? A babysitting service?" Tucker asked a bit annoyed but brightened up when Danny and Sasha handed him five bucks to do so. He took the flour sacks in his arms and looked at them lovingly. "Come to Uncle Tucker and his babysitting service."

          With their children taken care of Sasha and Danny ran behind the Nasty Burger building and transformed into their ghost forms. Sasha was a little apprehensive since they promised they'd be a bit more careful this week because of Valerie. But the Box Ghost wasn't really a threat and was a ghost that they caught with ease whenever he got out of the Ghost Zone so it would be a quick go as ghosts. Flying up into the air the two looked around, trying to spot where the ghost went.

          "Now, where's that lame old Box Ghost?" Danny pondered.

          "Only lame ol' ghost I see here is you," Valerie said as she flew up all decked out in her ghost hunting uniform and pointed her gun at Danny.

          Sasha was quick to pull him out of the way of the small missile she shot, earning a growl from Valerie. While the other girl had sworn vengeance on Danny, Sasha Shadow also wasn't in her good book as well. Before Valerie could aim another blow at Danny or herself Sasha shot her backward with an ectoblast.

          "Oh, she's too busy to watch the kid. But when it's time to kick my butt she's front and center," Danny complained and then went after her, much to Sasha's dismay. It appeared that she would have to take care of the Box Ghost while Danny and Valerie had their tiff.

          Looking around the area Sasha managed to spot the Box Ghost on the top of the Nasty Burger. However, what confused her was that a cyborg looking fellow managed to catch the Box Ghost with what looked like a version of the Fenton Fisher. She could tell however that that the cyborg wasn't human as his energy radiated ghost. Sasha couldn't help but smile, seeing a ghost like her and Danny who captured all the ghosts causing trouble around town. Flying down towards the roof she decided to introduce herself.

          "Hello there," Sasha greeted, surprising the other ghost.

          "Hello…," the other ghost replied uncertain. "I've never had another ghost approach me so welcoming before."

          "I'm sure most of them try to run away but not me. I have to say, it's very nice to see another ghost capturing the evil ghosts to stop them from creating chaos," Sasha said.

          "You're… you're a ghost ghost hunter?" the other ghost asked confused.

          "That's right," Sasha smiled. "Tell me, what do you do with all the troublesome ghosts you capture?"

          "I… I keep them in a hatch in my mechanism," the other ghost answered a bit hesitant.

          "That must cause some overflow. Here, let me take care of this one for you. I've got a unit that I can empty out quite frequently," Sasha offered.

          Taking the box ghost off his hands Sasha summoned up her shadows to keep a hold of the Box Ghost and then took aim with her containment unit. The other ghost watched in shock as Sasha sucked the Box Ghost into her unit. When she turned to continue talking to him however the other ghost had disappeared. She frowned.

          "I must have scared him off," Sasha thought to herself.

          It must have been her shadows, she should never introduce herself with that. She never knew if other ghosts knew about her relation to… Him. Great another ghost scared of her. Sighing she flew down off the Nasty Burger and behind the building where she transformed back into her human form. Heading out she saw that Danny had transformed back himself and that Valerie was nowhere to be seen. She quickly headed over to her friends, taking back her sack of flour from Tucker.

          "Manage to ditch Valerie?" she asked Danny.

          "Sort of. Did you get the Box Ghost?" he questioned.

          "Yeah. I also met another ghost ghost hunter who also seemed to be on our side but he kinda ran away after I used my shadow abilities," Sasha admitted.

          "Did you get his name?" Sam asked.

          "No. But he was so different from other ghosts I've seen before. It looked like he was a cyborg almost," Sasha answered.

          "Skulker," Danny said, his eyes narrowing a bit as he looked around.

          "You know him?" Sasha asked.

          "He's tried to hunt Danny in the past," Tucker told her.

          "He's not a ghost hunter like us. He hunts ghosts for the game of it like a big game hunter. We better watch out for him," Danny said.

          "But you said your shadow powers scared him off right. What if he's like Walker and associated you with that Black Heart fellow?" Tucker questioned.

          "If that's the case then he shouldn't come after you," Sam said.

          "Still, if you guys say that he's dangerous we better keep our guard up," Sasha said. "Otherwise we just have to continue going about our lives."

          "Which means finding Valerie and give her our kid, and a piece of my mind," Danny said, annoyed that he had to deal with two types of ghost hunters. With a determined look on his face, he stalked off to go confront Valerie, leaving his friends behind.

* * *

          The next two days went by in a flash of craziness for Sasha dealing with flour children while keeping up with social lives and ghost hunting, as minor ghosts kept her busy more than normal. Sasha wondered where Danny was several times but remembered how important it was for Danny to lay low this week ghost wise, not only from Valerie but from his Skulker. At least Valerie didn't really care about Sasha Shadow as much as she cared about Danny Phantom, and it appeared she scared Skulker off when she displayed her control over shadows. Still, it was a lot. She was a bit exhausted as the flour baby liked to do most of its crying in the middle of the night, leaving Sasha with so little hours of sleep that she was surprised that she was still functioning.

          Sasha was busy being quizzed on musicals by Xavier that Tuesday flew by in a flash and soon it was Thursday afternoon as she followed Tucker and Sam outside of school. Tucker had been doing well for himself, having started up a babysitting business for all the other students. He currently had a stroller set up that took up the entire sidewalk as he was on the phone with several people asking if he could look after their flour sacks. The only bags of flour that he didn't have it seemed were Danny's, Sasha's, and his own as Sam was currently carrying around their flour baby.

          "This babysitting racket it a real goldmine," Tucker smiled, after getting off the phone with a new customer.

          "That's great, but aren't you worried that our own sack might get neglected," Sam pointed out.

          "No, why?" Tucker asked, not really paying much attention to his flour baby.

          "Well, you're just so busy. Why don't I just take her off your hands for a few hours," Sam suggested.

          "And I thought you hated this assignment," Sasha teased.

          "You're bonding, aren't you?" Tucker smirked.

          "What? No! I am so not bonding. I just thought I'd give you a break is all," Sam replied defensively.

          "Just let Sam take the kid for the night, Tucker. We need to work on our poetry book project and while we do that our kids can have a nice little play date together. You know, enrichment and what not," Sasha piped up.

          "Well, I guess I can allow it for one night," Tucker relented.

          "Great, because we have to get going now," Sasha said and started pushing Sam and the flour babies away from Tucker, towards Sam's home. Tucker simply shrugged and continued on with his babysitting.

* * *

          Once at Sam's house Sasha went into her recording studio and messed around with the guitars there, adjusting them for what the song required. When she looked up from what she was doing, Sasha couldn't help but raise an eyebrow seeing that Sam had dressed her flour sack up to resemble herself and was currently gushing over it, while having the sack interact with Sasha's own flour baby she left for Sam to look over while she was in the booth.

          "While it's been nice to see the more maternal side of you come out don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?" Sasha questioned, speaking into the microphone so that Sam could hear her while slipping on headphones so that she could hear Sam's response.

          "I just want the best for Lilith," Sam replied.

          "Lilith?" Sasha chuckled.

          "That's her name," Sam said. "It's more points towards the project if you name your child. Perhaps you should think of one for your own flour sack."

          Sasha paused to think. "Marie," she decided.

          "Marie? Isn't that your middle name?" Sam asked.

          "Yep," Sasha answered, picking up a guitar, ready to start recording but Sam still wanted to keep the conversation going.

          "So, you name your baby after yourself," Sam pointed out.

          "Actually, I named her after my mother's best friend, who I just so happened to be named after as well," Sasha clarified. "Thought I should continue on her legacy after all she did for my mom."

          "Her legacy?" Sam questioned, not liking where this was going.

          "She died. I still catch my mom looking at pictures of them together. They were really close. If she lived I would probably be calling her Aunt Marie," Sasha explained.

          "How… how did she die?" Sam hesitantly asked.

          "She was killed trying to protect my mother from a ghost," Sasha answered.

          An awkward silence fell over them as Sam took in the information. Sasha refused to meet Sam's gaze, instead deciding that the guitar tuning was more interesting, even though she took care of it before. The silence was interrupted as Sam let out a cough and turned to the controls.

          "Are you ready?" Sam said, referring to recording.

          "Yeah, what songs do I have left to do?" Sasha asked.

          "Just 'Don't Think Just Run'," Sam answered. "Then that's it. We just compile them into an album and send it out to the masses, giving them a little heads up about it through social media. So… you ready?"

          "You bet," Sasha smiled.

          Sam smiled back, working her controls she then gave Sasha a thumb's up, signaling for her to start. Sasha happily started playing, always enjoying the feeling of losing herself in her music. The feeling of her hands moving across the strings of the electric guitar that Sam provided.

"You don't know yet where you're going  
If it's better than where you are coming from  
Settle down  
This feels right somehow

You meet twists and turns every corner  
But each step you take brings you closer  
To everything that's achingly familiar

And at the edges of your mind, your mind  
Something is whispering to go  
Into the unknown  
And see what you find

So deep breath in  
You're meant for this  
Everyone wants to know  
If you're the answer they've been searching for  
All eyes on you  
So much to prove  
Whoever you were back then  
You won't ever be again  
Remember how far you've come  
Don't think just run

You forced yourself to dig deeper  
When you redefined the impossible  
Can't give in  
To the hopelessness

Some rules are meant to be broken  
You won't be confined by them anymore  
This might be your one chance at redemption

It's all or nothing  
Make your stand, you stand  
You reached the edge there is no choice  
Now you have to jump  
And see where you land

So deep breath in  
You're meant for this  
Everyone wants to know  
If you're the answer they've been searching for  
All eyes on you  
So much to prove  
Whoever you were back then  
You won't ever be again  
Remember how far you've come  
Don't think just run

There might be peace on the other side  
New memories on the other side  
Nothing to lose on the other side

You won't be scared on the other side  
What might be there on the other side  
The world is new on the other side

So deep breath in  
You're meant for this  
Everyone wants to know  
If you're the answer they've been searching for  
All eyes on you  
So much to prove  
Whoever you were back then  
You won't ever be again  
Remember how far you've come  
Don't think just run"

          Hitting the last cord Sasha just stayed as she was for a bit, savoring the feeling. She was only brought out of hit when she heard Sam clapping from her headphones. Sasha looked up at the window separating the recording booth from the control room to acknowledge that she heard her and was ready to talk.

          "How was that?" she asked.

          "Great! How about we run it one or two more times," Sam suggested.

          Sasha nodded in agreement and readied herself for the second take. If she was gonna create an album she was going to make it as perfect sounding as she could. While this week was mainly about taking care of a flour sack as if it was her baby, this album was her real baby. In order to get it right, the two stayed up almost all night to make it perfect. Exhausted once they were done Sasha headed home and crashed, curious how people would react to it the next day.

* * *

          The next day two things were the talk of the school. The first thing was how Tucker screwed everyone over. Apparently, Tucker's babysitting business went south as his mother accidentally thought that Tucker brought her flour so that she could make enough cookies for a bake sale. It pissed everyone who trusted him with their flour sack off beyond belief. In fact, the only sacks of flour that were still in tack were Tucker and Sam's, Sasha's, and Danny and Valerie's. Danny and Valerie's sack of flour was barely alive anymore, causing Sasha to wonder what happened to it though she had a sinking feeling that it might have involved that ghost Skulker that Danny told her to be careful about.

          "Fenton! Gray! Your flour sack is a disgrace! But, seeing as it's not part of a cookie, I'm giving you a C," the gym teacher said, handing out grades. "Manson, for exemplary parent skills, if questionable taste in makeup, I'm awarding you an A. Lucas, I'm also awarding you an A for your parenting skills, seeing as you haven't damaged your flour sack or altered it in any way. It's good to see that mother of yours has raised you well. She's a hard worker that woman."

          "Yes, Ms., she certainly is," Sasha agreed.

          "As for you, Mr. Daycare, you get an F. Not only are you going to return everyone's money back to them but you'll also be staying after school all next week to mop the sweat off the gym floor," the gym teacher said, giving Tucker his punishment.

          As the bell rang, signaling the end of school, the rest of the class shot Tucker dirty glares while leaving the room. Tucker sulked out with Danny, Sasha, and Sam following him out to the front of the school, where Tucker returned all the cash people gave him for his Babysitting business. There was a sour mood in the air which made Sam and Sasha share a glance.

          "Perhaps we should brighten everyone's day up a bit," Sam suggested.

          "Sounds good to me," Sasha replied, watching as Sam pulled out her phone.

          "What are you guys talking about?" Danny asked confused.

          "You haven't heard the news?" Sasha asked, feigning innocence.

          "No, what news?" Danny continued to question.

          He got his answer in a bit as Sam started blasting "Don't Think Just Run" from her phone. Everyone paused when they heard the voice of the mysterious singer who performed months ago.

" _Whoever you were back then_  
You won't ever be again  
Remember how far you've come  
Don't think just run"

          "Hey, everybody! Nova Super just released her first album online!" Sam announced. Almost instantly the crowd of people ran off, heading home so that they could go online and get a digital copy of Nova's album. Danny and Tucker turned to the girls wide-eyed.

          "Seriously? She finally put out her album?" Tucker asked excitedly.

          "I'm playing it right now," Sam pointed out.

          "Turn it off! I need to sit and properly absorb her music!" Tucker freaked out.

          "Then how about we head to my house. I can whip up some sweets and then we can listen to it," Sasha offered.

          "Perfect! Let's go!" Tucker said and then started running towards Sasha's house, causing the others to chuckle.


	11. Fighting For Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs in order of appearance:  
> "Sublime" by Christina Grimmie  
> "StopRewind" by Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle)  
> "I Am Not Nothing" by Beth Crowley

          Nova Super sat in the Amity Radio Station, much to the delight of the night show's hosts. They'd been begged for an interview ever since her album came out and she agreed to one after talking with her manager. Sasha was excited herself but was super nervous, hoping they didn't ask any personal questions. Having to think on her feet about answers for Nova would be tricky considering her and Sam didn't lay a backstory out for her beforehand.

          "Nova, we are so excited to have you here," one of the hosts Chrissy told her.

          "I'm excited to be here," Sasha replied.

          "I have to say, the both of us have been listening to your album nonstop and it's phenomenal," the other cohost Rocky complemented.

          "Thank you so much," Sasha smiled.

          "You've had quite the journey so far. It seems like you've come out of nowhere and have become a huge hit," Chrissy said. "Tells us how it happened because it's certainly a crazy mystery."

          "Well, it's been crazy for me as well. One minute I'm writing songs in my bedroom and then the next a family friend of mine is calling me down to save this concert. Apparently, the singer stormed off stage and refused to perform. So, the next thing I know I'm up on stage and the crowd is chanting my name. After that, I managed to find an agent and now I've created my first album," Sasha fabricated.

          "Wow, so if it wasn't for that family friend we might not have gotten your music," Chrissy said in awe.

          "Who's this family friend?" Rocky asked.

          "Mason," Sasha answered, deciding to go with a variation of Sam's last name.

          "Thank you, Mason!" Rocky exclaimed causing the other two to laugh.

          "Now you said that you have a surprise for us?" Chrissy segwayed.

          "Yes, tomorrow night I will be performing a few songs at The Blue Velvet Club in honor of my album dropping," Sasha announced.

          "Ahh! That's so exciting!" Chrissy practically screamed.

          "Thank you, so much for the exclusive and thank you once again Nova Super for joining us tonight. Be sure to check out her performance at The Blue Velvet Club tomorrow night," Rocky thanked.

          He then played them off, transferring into Nova Super's song, "Don't Think Just Run". The three of them talked for a little bit longer before Sasha left the booth, meeting Sam on the other side. Together they exited the radio station and headed home, stopping for a moment so that Sasha could sneakily change out of Nova Super so that no one would know where Nova was going.

          "That Mason guy sure sounds great," Sam teased.

          "Yeah, he sure is," Sasha smiled, nudging Sam a bit.

          "You did pretty well for your first interview," Sam said.

          "Really? I wasn't too nervous or anything?" Sasha asked.

          "You were fine. Nice thinking back there as well. I'm sorry I kinda threw you in there without figuring out a backstory first," Sam apologized.

          "You're not entirely to blame. I should've prepped something ahead of time. I'm just happy they didn't question me about the singer I replaced," Sasha sighed.

          "Luckily everyone's forgot about Ember and the spell she put on them," Sam agreed. Sasha let out a yawn. "Tired?"

          "Yeah. I just can't wait to get home and get some sleep. I'm gonna need it if I'm gonna make it through school long enough to do the show tomorrow," Sasha answered.

          "It's gonna be a busy day. The Circus Gothica is in town tomorrow and I'm hoping to at least see the opening ceremony since I'll be missing their first show in favor of yours," Sam said.

          "Doesn't that mean you'd be ditching first period?" Sasha questioned.

          "Yeah, but I've already paid Tucker off to pretend to be me while I'm gone," Sam replied.

          "I'm not sure I want to see that," Sasha said, picturing what Tucker would look like dressed up as Sam, causing the other girl to laugh. The two stopped when they came to the road in which they'd part, Sam heading to her house while Sasha headed to her own.

          "I'll see you tomorrow at lunch," Sam said, wishing Sasha goodbye.

          "See you then. Night," Sasha wished back.

          And with that the two split off, heading to their respective homes. By the time Sasha got home, she wanted nothing else to crawl into bed but stopped upon seeing her mom in the living room. Zoe Lucas had a large smile on her face as she stared at her laptop screen. Sasha already had a guess as to what was making her mom happy and decided to probe her with a few questions to see if she was correct.

          "You seem pretty happy. Online dating going well?" Sasha asked.

          "You can say that. I'm actually going on a date tomorrow," Zoe informed her daughter.

          "That's great!" Sasha smiled.

          Zoe Lucas set up an account after their mother-daughter weekend and was talking to potential dates. Unfortunately, most of the people she talked with weren't up to her standard and never got close to a date. That was until recently. Sasha was happy coming in to see her mother smiling at her computer screen, talking with a guy. She'd yet to tell Sasha about him, saying that she didn't want to talk about it too early. Which was fine, though now that an actual date was happening perhaps she'd hear about the guy.

          "Are you going to be okay with that?" Zoe asked, wanting to make sure that her daughter was fine with her dating.

          "Of course, I am. Mom, you deserve to be happy. But if this guy does anything to hurt you I'll break his femur," Sasha said. Zoe laughed off the last part and got up from her spot on the couch.

          "Thanks, honey," she said and placed a kiss on top of Sasha's head.

          "I'm serious. If he hurts you I hurt him," Sasha said flat out.

          "I know you will," Zoe replied. "Now get to bed. You've got one more day of school before the weekend arrives."

          "Alright, I get the hint. I'll leave you alone so that you can talk to what's his name more. Goodnight," Sasha bid farewell and headed up to her room. Sleep was calling her name.

* * *

          The next day started out normal enough. She'd gone to school, and everything was going fine until Mr. Lancer received a message saying that she needed to head to the principal's office. Her classmates watched her go, everyone wondering what Sasha might have done to get a summons. When she arrived at Principal Ishiyama's office she saw Danny, Sam, their parents, and Tucker dressed up as Sam.

          "I really didn't need to see that. Tucker, I hate to tell you this, but you cannot pull off a skirt," Sasha told him.

          "Thanks," Tucker replied sarcastically.

          "Principal Ishiyama, you wanted to see me," Sasha said, turning to the person who brought her here.

          "I think you know why," the principal responded. Sasha looked around the room once again. From what she could tell Sam got caught skipping out on school and Tucker was caught as her replacement. Why Danny was there was a mystery to her, but not as big as a mystery as to why she was there.

          "No, not really," Sasha said, still confused.

          "Sasha had nothing to do with me going to the circus," Sam stood up for her.

          "Really?" Principal Ishiyama asked.

          "Yeah. I've been in class all day. Mr. Lancer can confirm that," Sasha told her.

          "Sorry, I just assumed that you'd be somehow involved with this as well," Principal Ishiyama apologized.

          "It's good to know at least one of Sam's friends isn't a delinquent," Mr. Manson muttered.

          "What did you say about my son?" Mrs. Fenton demanded, showing signs of turning into a protective momma bear.

          "Well since you weren't involved in any of this you are fine to head back to class, Miss. Lucas. The rest of you three will receive punishment in the form of detention tonight," Principal Ishiyama decided.

          "Tonight? But, Sam, what about the concert?" Sasha asked her friend, trying to keep from freaking out.

          "You'll just have to go without me," Sam replied, her eyes showing her apology.

          "What concert?" Mrs. Manson questioned.

          "The Nova Super concert at the Blue Velvet Club. She's performing a few songs from her album and we had made plans to go check it out," Sam explained.

          "Great! Not only did you get me in a skirt, but you've made me miss a Nova Super performance," Tucker complained.

          "Sorry," she apologized to her friends.

* * *

          Sasha paced back and forth in the green room at the Blue Velvet Club. Ever since being called to the principal's office and finding out that Sam wasn't going to be able to go with her to the performance she'd been tense. Heading home she was too much in her head because of nerves that she hardly paid attention to when her mother's date picked Zoe up. After waving them a quick goodbye she'd locked herself in her room and tried to calm herself down. She had a show to get to and couldn't show up to the venue a mess. So, after calming down, Sasha changed into her Nova Super outfit, went ghost, and then flew to the Blue Velvet Club. She made sure to change back to Nova Super where no one could see her before heading inside. The manager was excited to see her and quickly lead Nova into the green room before she could get swamped by patrons. Inside the green room, the manager asked if she wanted anything to drink to which she replied water, though part of her wished she was of age to have a shot of whatever alcohol they got. When the manager left to retrieve that that was when the pacing started. Part of this situation couldn't help but remind her of what happened back with Ember. Alone to perform, though Sam promised that she would be there. Sure, there wasn't an angry ghost waiting out on stage but still. It was her first real show as a musician and she was completely alone. When the manager returned with her glass of water Sasha took it and completely downed the drink.

          "Thirsty?" the manager joked.

          "Just wanted to make sure my throat's all clear for my performance," Sasha brushed off.

          "Well if your throat's all clear we have everything set up," he told her.

          Part of Sasha wanted a few more minutes to gather herself together but the other part wanted to get out there and get it over with, hoping the adrenaline that came with performing would help cause the worries to go away.

          "Let's not keep them waiting any longer," Sasha smiled, having made her decision.

          The manager nodded and lead her out of the green room and towards the stage where Sasha waited off on the side where no one could see her. The manager hopped on stage, getting in front of the microphone.

          "Alright guys, it's the moment you've been waiting for. The new rising star of the music world, Nova Super!" the manager introduced.

          The crowded club erupting into cheers as the manager stepped off stage and Nova stepped on. She smiled at the crowd and then reached for the guitar the club provided for her. She slung its strap over her shoulder and then turned to the crowd.

          "How's everyone doing tonight?" she asked the crowd to which they responded by another round of cheers. "That's good to hear. Well, tonight I'm here to play a few songs off my new album. So, let's start off with the song that started it all." The crowd got excited as Sasha started playing "Let Me Try" and even saw people singing along to the song with her. It was just what she needed to get over her nerves and to get the positive adrenaline running. When the song finished the crowd applauded, causing Sasha to smile. "This next song is what I refer to as the obligatory love song on the album because every album needs one. Hopefully, you guys enjoy it."

          Some of the crowd quieted down, thinking that it would be a soft song though the ones who'd been listening to her album over and over again knew what was really coming. As she played the notes on the guitar the others caught on that the soft love song was not the case.

"You, you make me wanna fall in love  
You, it's all or nothing, I know  
Getting' lost in your blue skies  
All my senses come alive  
Every second amplified tonight

Gonna be sublime  
So so sublime  
Feel your love all over me  
Can't stop thinking we could be sublime  
Sublime

Feel, I feel your aura in my veins  
Surreal, you're breaking through my chains  
Gettin' lost in your blue skies  
All my senses come alive  
Every second amplified tonight

Gonna be sublime  
So so sublime  
Feel your love all over me  
Can't stop thinking we could be sublime  
Sublime

Getting so high it's celestial  
Never come down to terrestrial  
When you speak every decibel  
It's making me feel so sublime  
Vulnerable but invincible  
Lucid but so irrational  
Spontaneous but intentional  
You're making me, feel so sublime

So so sublime  
I feel your love all over me  
Can't stop thinking we could be sublime  
Sublime, oh no  
Sublime  
I feel your love all over me  
Can't stop thinking we could be sublime  
Oh, sublime"

          Once again, the crowd broke out into applause. Sasha didn't stop to talk again, instead, she went right into her next song. After three more songs, it finally came to the last one. She and Sam had decided to only sing six for this performance, seeing as it was a small show for a small venue.

          "Alright guys, I hope that you've enjoyed the show tonight. I'm gonna play one last song for you before heading out," Sasha told the crowd. She heard a half of the people whine that the show was ending, causing her a smirk for a moment before heading into her last song.

"Day and night my mind is running  
Reaching out 'cause I want something more  
That I've never had before

I'm scared to chase what I've been dreaming  
Beyond a want and now I need it  
Push me by surprise  
So I can take a dive

Day and night my mind is racing  
Dents and footprints I've been pacing  
What am I supposed to find?

My god I'm the bait and the predator's my mind  
It eats at me all the time  
Can we stop and rewind  
I'm not so sure

When'd I become my own enemy  
I don't understand what you see in me  
'Cause I'm just another story  
That's not worth a reading  
Now you've got me pinned up against the wall  
Why aren't you afraid that I'll take a fall  
There's more that came before me  
Am I worth believing?  
I'm not so sure

Eye to eye our worlds collided  
Ear to ear you kept me smiling  
Kept me happy kept me grounded  
Before I flew away  
I felt it breaking  
Then you came around  
In this world of white noise, you're my favorite sound

When'd I become my own enemy  
I don't understand what you see in me  
'Cause I'm just another story  
That's not worth a reading  
Now you've got me pinned up against the wall  
Why aren't you afraid that I'll take a fall  
There's more that came before me  
Am I worth believing?  
I'm not so sure

We brave and broken fewer  
Three cheers to fear future  
We brave and broken fewer  
Three cheers to fear the future

When'd I become my own enemy  
I don't understand what you see in me  
'Cause I'm just another story  
That's not worth a reading  
Now you've got me pinned up against the wall  
Why aren't you afraid that I'll take a fall  
There's more that came before me  
Am I worth believing?  
I'm not so sure"

          With the final song done the crowd burst into the loudest applause of the night earning the biggest smile from Sasha. She wished them goodnight once again before putting the guitar back where she got it and walked off the stage. The manager ushered her towards the green room again where she caught her breath and received payment for the performance. The Blue Velvet Club had paid them in advance, but Sam made sure that the arrangement would have them give Nova Super a pretty good amount of money afterward. Sasha stuck around the Blue Velvet Club to sign some things and take selfies with fans before leaving, making sure to find cover from anyone before going ghost and flying back home. That night Sasha fell asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

          Unfortunately, life couldn't remain peaceful. The next morning when Sasha came downstairs for breakfast the morning news caught both her and her mother's attention. They instantly frowned upon seeing a picture of Danny in his ghost form along with some other ghost stealing money.

          "In other news, police got a break in the recent rash of mysterious burglaries as security cam footage revealed the ghostly culprits," the anchorwoman reported. The thing that caught Sasha's attention, besides the fact that Danny who was so hero bound was robbing a bank, was that his normal ghostly green eyes were a sinister red.

          "That's not Danny," Sasha muttered as the anchorwoman started talking about something else.

          "Sasha, do you know anything about this? This isn't like Danny at all" Zoe asked. Danny and her daughter had been friends for months now, so Zoe knew what to expect from the Fenton ghost kid. He was always trying to save the town, not torment it

          "No, but I think I know who might," Sasha replied and then pulled out her phone, dialing her friends' numbers. "Tucker, Sam, what the hell is going on?"

          "I'm guessing you saw the news," Tucker said.

          "Of course, I did," Sasha almost growled.

          "Please tell me you didn't watch the Circus Gothica segment," Sam said worry laced in her voice.

          "No, I haven't seen a single commercial for it at all actually," Sasha replied confused.

          "Good. The reason why Danny is acting weird is because of Freakshow, the ringleader of the circus. He has this scepter that is controlling Danny. He tried to have him kill me yesterday," Sam explained.

          "Shit," Sasha muttered.

          "But at least we have you to go knock some sense into him," Tucker said, trying to make things positive.

          "Tucker, I can't go anywhere near Freakshow without some kind of protection," Sasha told him.

          "What? Why not?" Tucker asked confused.

          "From what you've told me it sounds like this scepter controls ghosts. If I come into contact with that without some protection than Freakshow will take control of me and then there's no stopping him," Sasha explained. "I can't lose control of my mind. If that happens then everyone will be in danger."

          "Then what can we do?" Tucker asked.

          "Sasha, can your mom make you something that can block out the scepter's power?" Sam questioned.

          "She might be able to," Sasha replied.

          "And if she can't?" Tucker questioned.

          "Then it's up to you two. My mom and I will try and supply you with all the equipment you might need to take Freakshow and his ghosts on… even Danny," Sasha answered.

          "Perhaps we should meet up to discuss the plan," Tucker suggested.

          "How? I'm currently under house arrest," Sam said.

          "I'll come bust you out. We'll meet at my house," Sasha replied.

          "Okay," Sam and Tucker echoed.

          With things agreed upon the three of them hung up their phones and got ready to meet up. Zoe Lucas was already on her daughter with questions, having listened in on the conversation, or at least Sasha's side of things.

          "If what I've picked up is true then not only is Danny in trouble, but you might be as well," Zoe said.

          "Yeah. Mom, can you make me something that could block out the scepter's power over me? It's the only way I can go doing something to stop him," Sasha asked.

          "I'll try," Zoe promised.

          The two split up, Zoe heading downstairs to her workshop while Sasha went ghost. With Freakshow being stationed at the circus she was certain that a trip to Sam's house would be safe. Going intangible Sasha flew into Sam's bedroom, surprising the goth girl. Even with two of her friends being part ghost she hadn't gotten used to them suddenly appearing. The two didn't talk much as Sasha flew Sam back to her house, there was too much on their minds about the Freakshow situation. When they arrived back at Sasha's house they discovered that Tucker was there waiting for them. Setting Sam down in the living room Sasha turned back into her human form, feeling a bit safer.

          "Where's your mom?" Tucker asked.

          "In the workshop, hopefully figuring out a way for me to safely take on Freakshow," Sasha answered.

          "I don't think we've ever seen her workshop," Sam commented.

          "Well today's your lucky day," Zoe said, surprising the three as she came up from downstairs.

          "Have you managed to make it?" Sasha asked.

          "I need to make a few more adjustments but I'll need you in order to do that," Zoe answered.

          "Wow, you're quick," Tucker complemented.

          "You two are free to come down and check out the workshop. Besides, even if my protective glasses for Sasha work out I'd feel better equipping the two of you before you three go to face this Freakshow," Zoe told the other humans in the room.

          "It would be interesting to see someone else's lab. We've been so used to the Fenton's," Sam said as Ms. Lucas and Sasha lead them downstairs.

          "I'm sure it will be the same," Tucker replied.

          He instantly shut up when they entered the basement. There wasn't as much open space compared to the Fenton's, nor a huge ghost portal. Instead, there were many tables with equipment on them, some more organized than others, and a space dedicated to testing inventions. The whole room showed a maturity that the Fenton's didn't carry. Sam and Tucker wondered if that was because both the inventor and the ghost worked together to make things work. The inventions that the two of them saw were also a lot smaller than what the Fenton's created, possibly so they could be concealed better. The Fenton's inventions were pretty in your face.

          "And I stand corrected," Tucker said.

          "Your workshop is so cool," Sam complemented.

          "Thank you," Zoe replied, setting the pair of protective ghost glasses on Sasha's face. Sasha adjusted them to her liking while Zoe grabbed a tool to make her final modifications.

          "So, these glasses are gonna protect Sasha from Freakshow's scepter?" Tucker questioned.

          "That's what they're supposed to do. I originally designed them for humans so they wouldn't be affected by ghostly powers or items. Reversing that was surprisingly easy. However, we'll only truly know if they work if we test them," Zoe explained.

          "And how can we do that? We can't send Sasha to Freakshow without knowing this will work," Sam asked.

          "You… you were worried that I'd seen the Circus Gothica segment on TV, right?... Show me a commercial. That way we can test it here where you guys can restrain me if I go crazy," Sasha suggested, shifting uncomfortably.

          "And you're comfortable with that?" Sam questioned.

          "No. Not really. But it's the only thing we can do to test it out," Sasha admitted, her voice cracking a bit out of nervousness.

          "Okay then. Sam, Tucker, grab those two ecto-net guns on that table in case we need to restrain her," Zoe instructed.

          Sam and Tucker nodded and grabbed the guns while Sasha prepped herself, making sure the glasses were on and changed into her ghost form. When everything was ready Tucker loaded the commercial for the circus on his PDA and played it for Sasha. Everyone was tense as the commercial played. They watched Sasha closely, looking for any indication that she was affected, especially when the scepter appeared on the screen. When the commercial ended Zoe, Tucker, and Sam looked at Sasha with baited breath.

          "Sam, I have no idea why you wanted to go to this thing. Freakshow comes across as a complete creep," Sasha spoke, causing the others to relax.

          "It's comforting to see it works," Zoe sighed.

          "Yeah, especially since I'm the one who'd be in danger," Sasha said.

          "But we can go with plan A now, which makes me feel a bit better. You're more experienced fighting than Tucker and me," Sam admitted. "Not that we'd leave you to do it by yourself."

          "Which means you two will need more equipment than those nets," Zoe said and then picked up two other guns, these ones smaller than the ecto-net. "These are ecto-blasters, they'll be plenty helpful if you're attacked."

          "Thanks, Ms. Lucas," Sam and Tucker said, taking the blasters.

          "So, what's the plan now?" Tucker asked.

          "The important thing is to destroy the scepter. If we can do that without having to fight anyone that would be the best outcome," Sam answered. "If we want a chance at that then we better head out now. Freakshow encouraged parents to come for a free show, so he'll be distracted doing that."

          "Alright then. Sam, Tucker, hold on. I'm taking us to the circus," Sasha told them. Sam and Tucker stuffed their guns into their pockets and grabbed onto Sasha's arms. Zoe Lucas wished the group luck and then they were off.

* * *

          As Sam predicted, with so many parents in the circus tent Freakshow seemed to be distracted. Sasha kept the three of them invisible as they traveled through the circus grounds, not wanting to risk being seen. Trying to figure out where the scepter was, Sam pointed Sasha towards the train which the Circus Gothica arrived in. Going intangible Sasha flew them into the caboose of the train and set Sam and Tucker down.

          "Wow, you got some major muscles," Tucker complemented, having not expected her to carry him and Sam the whole way.

          "Ghost hunting tends to build up one's strength and gives you surprise abs," Sasha told him, looking around the caboose. The train car was filled with piles of gold, money, jewelry, paintings, and other expensive looking items. It was Sam who spotted Freakshow's scepter sitting in a pile of gold.

          "There's the crystal ball! Let's grab it and…" Sam said but was interrupted as she and Tucker were blasted out the back of the train.

          "Tucker! Sam!" Sasha shouted. Turning to the source of the surprise blast Sasha saw that Freakshow and Danny, dressed in a grim reaper robe, suddenly showed up.

          "Oh look, another ghost to add to my collection. And it looks like this one is your partner in crime," Freakshow said to Danny before turning his attention back to Sasha. He grabbed the scepter out of the pile and pointed it at her. "Now come to me, minion." When he noticed that Sasha's eyes didn't change red Freakshow looked at his scepter angrily. "What is wrong with this thing?"

          "Sorry, creep, but that's not working on me," Sasha growled.

          "Shot. Minion, get me out of here," Freakshow demanded.

          Before Sasha could do anything to stop them, Danny grabbed Freakshow and flew out of the train. Groaning in frustration, Sasha retrieved Sam and Tucker and flew the three of them on top of the train, which suddenly decided to start moving.

          "Why'd you come back for us? You should have gone after Freakshow," Tucker asked.

          "I still can. But I need you two in case his other ghosts come to attack. Be sure to pay attention this time though," Sasha replied, setting them down on top of the train.

          Hearing their arrival Freakshow and Danny turned to see that they'd been followed. Freakshow grimaced and sent Danny and several of his other ghosts to take care of them. This time Sam and Tucker were prepared and tried to fight off the other ghosts while Danny and Sasha faced off.

          "Danny, it's me. It's Sasha. Your best friend, remember?!" Sasha called out to him, hoping to break the spell he was under.

          "Sasha? I…" Danny blinked, slowing coming out of it. However, he reverted back to his spelled state as Freakshow pointed his scepter at him. "I am a ghost. I have no friends."

          "Don't waste your breath, child. He's under my control now," Freakshow smirked.

          "Then I'll have to break it," Sasha replied, setting her sights on the scepter.

          Sasha lunged towards Freakshow to try and grab the scepter, but Danny stopped her. The two started fighting, firing ecto-blast after ecto-blast at each other just like Sam and Tucker were doing with Freakshow's other ghosts. It was almost a difficult thing to do as Sasha did not like having to fight against her friend. But the person she was fighting against wasn't Danny. It was a Freakshow controlled Danny. That made the punches a bit easier to throw. Still, she continued to try to call out to him, hoping to add that to breaking Freakshow's spell.

          "Danny, come on this isn't you. You would never do this. You're a hero, not a villain," Sasha tried to call out to him.

          Once again, she saw a break, seeing the real Danny come through. However, that was short lived but not for the reason it was beforehand. Sasha had been hit by an ecto-blast, by a ghost or by one of her friends she didn't know and was sent tumbling towards the front of the train where Freakshow was. Sasha winced and went to get up when she noticed the absence of something. During her fall the protective glasses managed to fall off and land at Danny's feet. Panic set in at Sasha forced her eyes shut, not wanting to catch a glimpse of the scepter.

          "No! No! No!" Sasha screamed, frantically looking for the glasses.

          "Sasha!" Sam and Tucker called out.

          At this point, Freakshow caught on that the reason his scepter had no effect on Sasha was because of the glasses. Now seeing that they were off her face, Freakshow smiled and grabbed Sasha, shoving the scepter in front of her face. Sasha shrieked and squeezed her eyes even tighter.

          "You don't have your pretty little glasses to save you now," Freakshow laughed as he tried to get Sasha to open her eyes.

          "No! No! I can't become Him!" Sasha shrieked, causing Freakshow to only laugh more, delighted at her screams.

          Sam and Tucker watched as shadows began to creep from the edges of the train and started to slowly gather towards Sasha. It reminded them of when Wulf mentioned Black Heart which caused Sasha to freak out. It was scary then and seeing an even worse version starting to happen now terrified them. Sam tried to think of something quick before things got even worse, be it from Sasha freaking out or Freakshow taking control of Sasha when she spotted the glasses next to Danny. Moving fast Sam swiped the glasses from the ground and shoved them onto Danny's face. Danny stumbled back and after a moment his eyes returned to his normal ghostly green instead of the sinister red.

          "Sam? What's…" Danny began to ask before seeing Sasha in trouble. "Sasha! Let her go!"

          "What? But you were my slave." Freakshow said confused, seeing that Danny was no longer under his control.

          Feeling Freakshow's grip on her loosen, Sasha took the shadows that she felt creeping towards her and flung them out around her, throwing Freakshow back. Sasha fell to her knees and started shaking, holding her head as she continued to panic. Right next to her though was the scepter. Danny was quick to fly over and grab it before anybody else could. Freakshow screamed no as Danny smashed the crystal of the scepter against the train car, shattering it and releasing all of the ghosts from Freakshow's control.

          "Sasha, it's alright. The crystal's broken," Danny tried to reassure her to no avail.

          She still shook in fear. Seeing that the glasses were no longer needed to protect himself from Freakshow's scepter Danny took them off and gave them to Sasha who instantly placed them back on herself. Even with the protective item, Sasha shook. While Danny wanted nothing more than to console his friend the awakening of the other ghosts alerted them to the issue of Freakshow.

          "Are we finally free?" one of them asked.

          "Only one way to find out," Danny said.

          The group of ghosts turned their attention to Freakshow. They grabbed him and phased into the train, leaving Sasha, Sam, and Tucker on the top. The teens braced themselves as they felt the train coming to a complete stop before running over to Sasha. Sam dropped down to her knees and pulled her friend into a hug while Tucker placed a comforting hand on Sasha's shoulder. Feeling the comfort of trusted friends who cared about her Sasha broke down into tears. When Danny returned from finishing taking care of Freakshow his heart broke upon seeing his friend and was reminded of when Sasha freaked out on top of her roof. And once again it was kinda his fault. Three of them tensed upon hearing police sirens getting closer to the train.

          "You guys okay to get out of here on your own?" Danny asked Sam and Tucker. The two nodded causing Danny to relax a bit. Reaching down he picked Sasha up in his arms. "I'll take Sasha home where she'll be safe. And guys, I'm sorry."

          "We can all apologize later. Right now, we just need to get out of here and get Sasha home," Sam said.

          The three nodded in agreement and ran off before the police could discover them. Danny flew off, holding the crying Sasha close to him. Feeling Danny's familiar ghostly energy Sasha pulled herself closer to him, needing the comfort of someone familiar. It only made Danny feel guiltier. As soon as Danny entered the Lucas's household Sasha transformed. Hearing someone in her house Zoe Lucas came running out from the kitchen and gasped when she saw her daughter in distress.

          "Sasha! What happened?" Zoe asked.

          "The details are a bit fuzzy for me, but she lost her glasses while fighting Freakshow," Danny answered.

          "Oh god, that's what I was afraid of," Zoe frowned. "Will you take her over to the couch?" Danny nodded and headed towards the living room when Zoe stopped him for a moment. "And Danny, it's good to see you're back to your normal self."

          With that, Zoe disappeared back into the kitchen leaving Danny to head into the living room with Sasha. Upon entering Danny transformed back himself before setting Sasha down on the couch. She didn't want to let go of him though, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. Not having the heart to push her away Danny sat down on the couch, pulling a throw blanket over the both of them. Feeling all of this happen Sasha let go of Danny's shirt but still clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder.

          "It's okay, Sasha, you're safe. Just breathe," Danny comforted her, hugging Sasha.

          The front door burst open and an out of breath Sam and Tucker came rushing in. They looked around, trying to figure out where Danny and Sasha were before spotting them in the living room. When they spotted the still crying Sasha both of their faces fell. The amount of guilt that Danny felt Sam felt it tenfold. All of this happened because she wanted to go to that stupid circus, putting her friends in danger. Sam and Tucker headed into the living room, Sam sitting on the other side of Sasha, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, while Tucker stood by looking up ways of how to calm a panicking person down on his PDA.

          "Oh God, I'm so sorry, Sasha," Sam apologized.

          "It's not your fault, Sam. It's mine. If you guys didn't have to come and save me than she would never have been put in that position in the first place," Danny tried to tell her.

          "No, it's not. I'm the whole reason all of this happened. I wanted to go to the Circus Gothica. I got us detention for skipping out on first period. I exposed you to Freakshow's scepter which in turn got you under his control. I was the one who pressured Sasha into going to save you because I felt better knowing she had more experience fighting ghosts. I'm the one who put her in a situation I knew she was nowhere comfortable with because I was too selfish to do it myself. It's my fault. And I'm so sorry I put you guys through all of that," Sam expressed, getting teary-eyed herself.

          "Sam," Tucker said, going over to comfort his friend.

          "I'm fine. We shouldn't be focusing on me and the guilt I feel over my stupid decisions. We should focus on Sasha and Danny," she brushed off.

          "It's a good thing I made extra tea," Zoe Lucas said as she walked into the living room, carrying four mugs. Danny, Sam, and Tucker took the mugs; Sam and Tucker taking a sip while Danny allowed the warmth to seep into his hands for a moment before setting it down on the coffee table. Zoe set the one meant for Sasha down on the coffee table, seeing that her daughter wasn't going to touch it at the moment. "How ya feeling, Danny?"

          "Tired. I… I did some bad stuff, didn't I?" he asked, trying to get clarification on his blurry memories.

          "Nothing you can't fix," Zoe assured him before turning to Sam and Tucker. "Now you two, tell me what happened."

          "When Sasha was trying to knock some sense into Danny she got hit by a blast which caused the glasses to fall off," Tucker answered.

          "She closed her eyes so she wouldn't fall under the scepter's power but Freakshow figured out what the glasses had been doing. He grabbed hold of Sasha and tried to get her to open her eyes," Sam continued in.

          "She started freaking out. Shadows started creeping towards her and Sasha screamed that she couldn't become Him. It was scary," Tucker jumped in.

          "I managed to get the glasses on Danny and get him back to normal to take care of the rest," Sam finished.

          With everything explained Zoe let out a frustrated sigh and looked sadly at her daughter. "I should've added a better attachment so that they wouldn't fall off. I'm afraid this might be the hardest situation to calm her down from. Luckily, she has you guys to help. You three are great friends."

          "But we're the reason she's like this in the first place," Danny tried to argue.

          "You've made a mistake. We all have. What you need to focus on now is learning from the mistake and making up for it. And you three are doing that now by being here for Sasha," Zoe explained.

          Their conversation was interrupted by the doorbell. Confused as to who it could be Zoe headed into the hall and answered the door. Standing right on her porch were the Fenton's and the Mansions.

          "Zoe, have you seen Danny or Sam at all?" Maddie Fenton asked her.

          "Yeah, they're right in here," Zoe answered, ushering the parents into her house.

          The Fenton's and the Mansions were eager to start shouting at their kids but paused when they saw the scene on the couch of Danny, Sam, and Tucker trying to comfort a crying Sasha.

          "What's going on here?" Mrs. Mansion asked.

          "My daughter had a panic attack and her friends came over to help calm her down," Zoe explained.

          "Was it because of Eddy?" Maddie asked, causing Zoe to freeze.

          "Yes," she forced out.

          "Who's Eddy?" Jack Fenton question, earning a slap on the chest from his wife.

          "Eddy Valentine is Sasha's scumbag of a father," Zoe explained.

          "Did he try and contact her?" Mrs. Mansion questioned.

          "No, some things just occasionally remind her of him, like certain movies or troubling news stories," Zoe said. "She gets really bad when that happens."

          "Poor thing," Mrs. Mansion mourned.

          "When was the last time you saw him?" Mr. Mansion asked.

          "When he was killed in a police shootout," Zoe told them.

          The sound of crying filled the room as everyone fell quiet. Maddie looked at Zoe apologetically, having already been told the story of Eddy while the other parents stood in shock. Even Sasha's friends stared at Zoe horrified. They knew that Sasha's father wasn't the reason behind Sasha's distress but discovering that he was such a horrible person that he was killed in a police shootout made them feel bad for Sasha in a whole other way. No one could begin to imagine what he might have done to Sasha or Zoe, those thoughts were too disturbing.

          "Ms. Lucas, I'm so sorry," Mr. Mansion tried to apologize.

          "Don't be. I'm glad he's gone," Zoe bit, feeling the anger that accompanied talking about Sasha's father. The Fenton's and Mansion's flinched in response. Taking a breath Zoe calmed down, she needed to remain the calm one for everyone's sake. "I'm happy that Sasha has such amazing friends, they've really helped her through a lot. You should be proud of the kids you're raising."

          The Fenton's and Mansion's looked over at their children once again, seeing how Danny was holding Sasha and how Sam was offering her a comforting touch as well. The anger that they were planning on showing when they stepped inside completely disappeared. Talk of groundings could happen later.

          "We have raised some great kids," Mrs. Mansion smiled.

          "We sure have," Jack agreed.

          "Sam, we'll have a talk when you get home," Mr. Mansion told her.

          "You too, Danny. But for now, you can stay and take care of Sasha," Maddie told him.

          "Thanks, Mom," Danny replied.

          "Thanks, Dad," Sam echoed.

* * *

          Sasha sat in her room under the covers of her bed. After the Fenton's and Mansion's left her friends stuck around until the end of her crying spell which lasted for a little under an hour. With everyone exhausted, Danny offered to carry Sasha up to her room before heading out with Sam and Tucker, an offer Zoe was thankful for. As soon as she hit the sheets Sasha was out and slept until noon the next day. When she woke up her hair was a mess, there were dark circles under her eyes which were red and puffy, and her throat hurt from all the sobbing. Zoe decided that it would be best for her daughter to remain in bed for the rest of the day and brought up soup and tea to help calm her throat. Sasha had finished her soup and was on her second cup of tea when she decided to start writing.

"But I will forgive myself  
And start to let it go  
Accept that who you chose to be  
Was out of my control  
And though it might be hard  
To begin again  
I'll write myself a brand new story  
With a happy end," she wrote.

          As Sasha finished up the chorus of her new song she heard a knock at her window. Looking up she saw Danny in his ghost form floating right outside. She set the notebook she was writing in face down on her dresser and motioned for Danny to come in. He simply came through the wall, transformed, and sat down on Sasha's bed.

          "Hi," he greeted.

          "Hi," she repeated back.

          "How are you feeling?" he asked.

          "Terrible, but I'll make it through. I have in the past," Sasha admitted. "How are you doing?"

          "Well, I'm still grounded, but mom and dad decided to be a bit lenient when it comes to helping you," Danny answered.

          "That's not what I meant," Sasha said. Danny fell quiet. "You saw me break down for a second time yesterday and were there for me. I'll be here for you as well, Danny. So, tell me, how are you feeling after this nightmare?"

          There was a silence before Danny started opening up. "I've been remembering what happened. It's been a few pieces here and there. Like robbing stores, running from the police, … fighting you. And I remember while I was under Freakshow's control inside I was screaming, trying to fight back. And sometimes I'd free myself for a moment but that stupid scepter got me back under. It was… terrifying not being able to control my own body."

          Sasha pulled Danny into a hug, this time for his sake instead of hers. He melted into the hug, accepting the comfort.

          "I'm so sorry," Sasha muttered. "Losing control of yourself, becoming just as evil as the ghosts you fight…. it's terrifying."

          "I remember you screaming during the fight when Freakshow tried to get you. You said you couldn't become Him. You were referring to Black Heart, weren't you?" Danny asked, pulling out of the hug.

          "Yeah," Sasha hesitantly admitted.

          "You don't really think that's who you'd become right?" Danny asked.

          "It's all I ever think about. We're two sides of the same coin. And it's my worst fear that one day that won't be the case. That I'll be just as bad as he is. There's a reason why even ghosts fear him. He's killed people, he's tortured them. He's a monster," Sasha told him.

          "But you're not a monster, Sasha. You're a hero," Danny said.

          "I try to be," Sasha replied.

          "We both do. And I think we're doing a pretty good job. Even with my minor setback," Danny told her.

          "Thanks, but even us heroes have bad days where we need to deal with our own problems," Sasha said.

          "Luckily, we have each other to help us work that out," Danny replied, taking hold of Sasha's hand.

          "Yeah, lucky that," Sasha smiled.


	12. Begging You For Mercy

          Sasha was at her locker switching out her books for her next class when Xavier came running up to her in excitement. She couldn't help but smile at him amused. Xavier always seemed to have this high bubbly energy that Sasha wished she could bottle. He was like an adorable puppy. She was curious as to what got him excited this time.

          "Sasha! Sasha!" he exclaimed.

          "Xavier! Xavier!" Sasha teased.

          "We're gonna need to crack down on our music session today," Xavier told her.

          "What brought this on all of the sudden? Our music sessions are supposed to be just for fun," she asked confused.

          "But remember why they started? They started so that I could convince you to audition for the spring musical. And guess what's coming up? I have to get you ready," Xavier said.

          "The fall semester isn't even over yet. Why would I need to worry about auditions for the spring musical now?" Sasha questioned.

          "Because Lancer told me that he's gonna be having auditions before break. He's worried that since we lost a lot of great performers that he's gonna have a hard time casting. Lancer wants to have time for multiple audition days in case he needs them," Xavier explained.

          "That sounds extreme," Sasha commented.

          "Lancer is extremely committed to making Casper High's theatre program great," Xavier replied.

          "I guess he has enough school spirit to do it. But I'm not even sure I'd be able to audition," Sasha said.

          "Why? What on earth is stopping you?" Xavier questioned.

          "I kinda have this job that keeps me on my feet," Sasha answered vaguely.

          "Lots of people who audition have part-time jobs as well and are able to work around it. Heck, practically all employers in Amity Park adjust schedules to allow students to do the school shows because they know how good of one Lancer will put on," Xavier told her.

          "That's quite the reputation if the whole town works around it," Sasha commented.

          "Lancer only wants the best, and you're clearly one of the best," Xavier replied.

          Sasha paused. Even after talking with her mom about auditioning for the school show she was still unsure what her friends would think. How could they be okay with her leaving all the ghost hunting to them while she attended practice? And what would Sam think, seeing as Sasha was already juggling Nova Super with that? She knew that the town was pretty bad at putting two and two together as no one had yet to figure out that Danny and Sasha were actually Phantom and Shadow so hopefully she didn't need to worry about them figuring out that Sasha was Nova Super. But Sam would have a more definitive answer to that. That is if she was okay with Sasha auditioning for the school show.

          "I… I'll have to talk to some people to see if it's okay," Sasha informed Xavier.

          "That's not a no! So, in the meantime, we're gonna work on your audition song. Lancer let it slip that we're doing Cinderella," Xavier went to plan.

          "There's a musical version of Disney's Cinderella?" Sasha questioned.

          "No, well probably, but we're gonna be doing the Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. But maybe auditioning with a Disney song is a good idea… I'll gather some options up for our music session. Be ready to sing your butt off later," Xavier said and then headed off to his next class.

          Sasha let out a deep sigh, this was going to be difficult. Pushing all thoughts of bringing up the audition aside she went to go find her friends so that they could walk to their next period together. They met up near the nurse's office, seeing as they could dart in for emergency Team Phantom Shadow meetings if they needed to. Danny, Sam, and Tucker were patiently waiting for her and waved hello when she arrived.

          "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late, Xavier was just talking my ear off about…. Wait, what smells like a gym locker room and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies?" Sasha asked.

          "'Foley, by Tucker Foley'," the three of them answered.

          "It's Tucker's cologne," Danny explained.

          "White chocolate macadamia nut? I thought you hated white chocolate," Sam questioned.

          "It's my only exception. Otherwise white chocolate can burn in hell as it is not chocolate," Sasha shrugged. Their conversation about chocolate was interrupted as Danny's ghost sense went off. They looked around and was surprised to see that Paulina was glowing a ghostly glow.

          "Uh, is Paulina glowing?" Danny asked.

          "I know she's supposed to have flawless skin, but this is ridiculous," Sam commented.

          "Auh, I feel terrible and disfigured. Stupid big bite!" Paulina whined.

          "Bug bite?" Danny repeated.

          "Is she talking about one of the tiny ghost bugs?" Sasha pondered, hoping that wasn't the case.

          She was proven correct however as they watched was swarms of ghost bugs started biting people including Jazz, Kwan, Star, and many others causing a mass panic to erupt throughout the school.

          "Cover us guys. We're going ghost!" Danny told Sam and Tucker.

          Danny and Sasha ducked into the safety of the nurse's office. Ms. Lucas looked up from her work and saw Danny and her daughter transform into their ghost forms. Even though she didn't know what was going on Zoe Lucas began to gather medical supplies together in case needed. When the two phased through the door Sam and Tucker got a good look at Sasha and Danny's new logos that Sam designed as an apology after the Freakshow fiasco. With a ghostly theme, Danny's consisted of a D and P while Sasha's was a combination of two S's. They didn't stay long however as Danny and Sasha separated to capture as many ghost bugs as they could. Swarm after swarm was sucked into the Fenton Thermos and Sasha's containment unit before they met back up with Sam and Tucker.

          "I think we got them all," Danny said optimistically.

          Just as he said that one of the bugs flew over and bit Sam's arm, phasing into her skin. "Ow!" she exclaimed.

          "Except one," Danny revised.

          He was once again proven wrong as two swarms passed them by. One chasing after Dash was another went down a hallway looking for more people to bite.

          "Or more," Sasha corrected.

          Once again her and Danny split up, Danny going after the swarm chasing Dash while Sasha went after the other one. Heading down the hallway she did her best to look for the bugs, but it was when she heard a scream that she was alerted to where they really went. Phasing through a door into a classroom Sasha frowned seeing that the ghost bugs already managed to bite Xavier, as he was holding his arm in pain. It became even more evident as his lower body started glowing like Paulina was before. What was surprising though was when Xavier started to sink. Sasha was quick to fly over, grabbed Xavier, and pulled him up sinking into the floor. She was going to wait until his legs stopped glowing but felt him go a bit limp in her arms.

          "Shadow?" Xavier asked weakly before passing out.

          Sasha stared down at her friend worried and was about to fly him to her mom when an announcement was made over the intercom.

          "Attention everyone! If you or one of your fellow students is feeling ill, please head to the cafeteria for quarantine. It appears a mass illness has been spread around the school," the voice over the intercom instructed.

          A frown spread across Sasha's face. She would very much love to take Xavier to the nurse's office for her mother to look at, but it appeared that wasn't going to happen. Transforming back into her human for Sasha transported an unconscious Xavier to the cafeteria.

* * *

          By the time all the infected students were completely quarantined in the cafeteria parents managed to make their way to the school demanding to see their children. Mr. Fuluka stood in front of the doors of the cafeteria, refusing entry to anyone which was only pissing off parents more.

          "Why can't we see your children, Mr. Fuluka? This is outrageous, they're sick. They need us," Maddie complained.

          "Now, I understand your concern folks, but I have been instructed not to disseminate any information at this time," he replied.

          "But you're a teacher. It's your job to disseminate information," Maddie argued before turning to Ms. Lucas who unfortunately had to stand next to Mr. Fuluka and deal with parents. "Zoe, can't you do anything? You're the school nurse for Pete's sake."

          "I'm sorry, Maddie. I've been taken off this case. I don't have the jurisdiction to say anything," Zoe apologized.

          "Poor Jazz. She's always been my favorite," Jack cried, blowing his nose into a handkerchief which he proceeded to hand to Danny. "Here you go, Danny, don't lose this. It was your grandfather's."

          "Bleh!" Danny reacted to it.

          "Hey, Danny, Sasha, check this out," Tucker called to them. The two headed over, curious as to what Tucker wanted them to see.

          "What's up?" Danny asked.

          "I got another one," Tucker said, opening his hand to reveal one of the ghost bugs.

          "Tucker, get rid of that thing!" Sasha whisper yelled at him, reaching for her containment unit.

          "No no, look it won't bite me or phase through my skin or anything," Tucker told her.

          "What? How? I figured that our ghost powers are what's protecting me and Danny but what's protecting you?" Sasha questioned, sucking the bug into her containment unit as it tried to fly off.

          "'Foley by Tucker Foley'," Danny and Tucker replied.

          "Wow. It's not just repelling, it's a repellant," Danny figured out.

          Their conversation was interrupted as someone walked out of the cafeteria. Tucker instantly stepped behind Sasha and Danny once they saw that it was a creepy looking doctor. Sasha had learned beforehand that Tucker was terrified of pretty much anything involving hospitals and illness. The only reason he got over his fear of the nurse's office at school was because Sasha's mom was the nurse and that he trusted her.

          "Hello people. I'm Dr. Burt Rand," the man greeted everyone.

          "Are you from the government's disease control center?" Maddie Fenton asked.

          "Sure, let's go with that. I can assure you that your children are in good hands, and will be transferred to the creepy hospital on the edge of town," Dr. Rand told them.

          "Under quarantine?" Maddie continued to question.

          "Sure, let's go with that too," Dr. Rand replied.

          "And just why should we trust you?" Jack interrogated.

          "Because I'm with the government and can audit your taxes if you don't," Dr. Rand told him.

          "We trust you," Jack turned around.

          "I don't trust him. There's something about him that's unsettlingly familiar," Sasha said.

          "Sam and Jazz are in that hospital," Danny started.

          "Xavier too," Sasha piped in.

          "We've got to find out what's going on," Danny said.

          "Have a good time," Tucker wished his friends and tried to walk away.

          "Tucker, he said we. That also means you too," Sasha stopped him.

          "You also said hospital," Tucker pointed out.

          "We go invisible, we go ghost, we'll be in and out in no time. Just watch," Danny assured their spooked friend.

* * *

          That plan went not accordingly as once Danny and Sasha tried to fly into North Mercy Hospital they got sent flying back towards the ground thanks to a ghost shield. Sasha took a little more time to recover, not used to falling for those kinds of ghost deterrents like Danny was.

          "Well, let's just come back during visiting hours, or perhaps, not at all," Tucker said, ready to turn around and head home.

          "We can't do that Tucker. The fact the hospital has a ghost shield around it makes it even more suspicious," Sasha argued with him.

          "If I can't get in as a ghost I'll have to get in like a kid," Danny said, transforming back into this human form which caused Sasha to do the same. "The two of us probably won't be able to sneak in without causing suspicion. The bugs should've gotten everyone so having two sick kids come out of nowhere would seem odd."

          "It's not smart going in there by yourself," Sasha told him, worry in her eyes.

          "Give me five minutes to distract Dr. Rand so that you can break in without causing alarm," Danny asked from her.

          "Five minutes," Sasha allowed before turning to Tucker. "You have the ecto-blaster from my mom?"

          "Yup," Tucker smiled, patting his pocket. "So happy your mom decided to let me and Sam keep them."

          "You're a ghost hunter, kinda need the equipment," Sasha pointed out.

          "Okay then. Let's make this good," Danny said.

          He threw his arms around Sasha and Tucker's shoulders and acted weak. The three of them headed towards the hospital entrance which was guarded by two ghosts. This only caused the three to become more suspicious of what was going on.

          "This area's restricted, no admittance," one of the ghost guards told them.

          "But our friend is sick," Sasha protested.

          This got the attention of Dr. Rand who came out from the hospital as if the word sick managed to summon him. "It's alright guards, stand down. Has this young man been exhibiting any ghost-like symptoms?" he asked. Hearing this Danny turned invisible for a moment. "Oh no! You poor sick human child, it's worse than I thought."

          Dr. Rand excitedly took Danny from Sasha and Tucker, transferring him to a wheelchair and then wheeled him into the hospital. The guards instantly closed the doors and glared at Sasha and Tucker.

          "Set your timer, Tuck," Sasha whispered. She sent a glare at the ghost guards, grabbed Tucker's arm, and then dragged him a little bit away from the entrance.

* * *

          Sasha paced back and forth as they waited for Tucker's alarm to go off. She did not like waiting when she knew how fishy it was. Especially knowing that Danny was in there dealing with it on his own. The other thing that was bothering her was Dr. Burt Rand. She knew that there was something familiar about the guy and it frustrated her beyond belief that she hadn't figure out why yet.

          "Dr. Bert Rand. Dr. Bert Rand. Dr. Bert Rand," she repeated over and over again.

          "What are you doing?" Tucker asked.

          "I'm trying to work out why Dr. Rand's so familiar," she answered. "Dr. Bert Rand. Dr. Bert Rand. Bert Rand. Bert Rand. Bertrand. Bertrand! That's Spectra's servant!"

          "Which means we're not just dealing with ghost bugs…," Tucker said.

          "We're dealing with Spectra," Beth finished. Tucker's alarm went off, signaling that the five minutes Danny asked for were up. "Perfect timing. Let's go!"

          Sasha transformed back into her ghost form and flew up to the guards, not having to worry about the ghost shield seeing as she was inside. The guards didn't have much time to react as Sasha shot them with an ecto-blast and then sucked them up into her containment unit.

          "Don't worry Danny, the cavalries coming!" Tucker shouted, having built up some courage to head into a place he hated.

          The two ran inside, or in Sasha's case flew, to find Danny so that they could defeat Spectra together. They would have run further inside but Sasha stopped Tucker once they heard their names being called.

          "Tucker? Sasha?" They looked up to see Sam floating up near the ceiling.

          "Sam?" the two echoed.

          "So, this is the ghost power you got from the bugs," Tucker mused.

          "Have you seen Danny?" Sasha asked.

          "A while ago, but I fell asleep and when I woke up he was gone. There's something evil happening here," Sam informed them.

          "It's a hospital, Sam. There's always something evil happening here," Tucker replied.

          "We have to find Danny," Sasha said.

          "Unfortunately, I think we means you two. I'm pretty useless and there are cameras and guards everywhere," Sam told her.

          "Then it looked like we'll have to get a bit creative. I'll be able to go invisible and travel about but you Tucker will have to go through the vents," Sasha said, noticing a vent opening.

          "Can you give me a boost?" Tucker asked.

          Sasha nodded and lifted Tucker up towards the air vent. She wished him luck before Tucker headed deeper into the vent. Sam wished the same thing before Sasha turned invisible and began to search the rooms of the hospital. For the most part, it was rooms where her classmates were being kept, or at least the ones who could be contained. Other rooms appeared to be supply closets. One room that made her stop however was one that Xavier was being kept in. Perhaps she could get some information on what was going on from him since she forgot to ask Sam. Taking the chance Sasha turned visible allowing for Xavier to see her.

          "Shadow!" Xavier exclaimed when he noticed the ghost appear in his room. Almost immediately after his arm became intangible and went through the bed he was laying on. Sasha flew over and helped him out of his bed, waiting for his arm to return to normal before letting go. "Thanks. I don't know what's going on with me and why I kept going through things."

          "You're turning intangible, or at least parts of you. That bug bite gave you ghost powers," Sasha explained.

          "That's the most information I've gotten since they sent us here. Thanks," Xavier admitted.

          "Really?" Sasha asked though she could completely believe that Spectra and her servant wouldn't tell them anything.

          "Yeah, all they've done is take us for tests. Afterward, they just shove us into a room and that's it. It's like they don't even want to help us," Xavier explained.

          "I'm pretty sure you're right. This hospital sounds like it's trying to use you guys for its own messed up purposes. And I'm here to stop it and figure out a way to get everyone back to normal," Sasha told him.

          "Is Phantom here too?" Xavier asked. She could practically see the fangirl in his eyes.

          "Somewhere. He might have gotten captured. Do you remember where the room that they took you for testing is?" Sasha replied.

          "You go down the hallway and turn right. It's the second door on your left," Xavier answered.

          "Thanks so much," Sasha said.

          "Anything for you guys," Xavier smiled.

          And with that she turned invisible once again and went in search of the testing room, hoping to find Danny.

* * *

          Danny was strapped to a stretcher with ghost proof straps thanks to Bertrand. But now that he was in this situation he was going to question the shadowy figure of Spectra to find out exactly what was going on.

          "What do you want?" he questioned.

          "What everybody wants Danny and for me, that means being beautiful. That's why I'm assembling this!" Spectra answered, floating over to a cabinet. She opened it to reveal a new body she'd been designing herself. "A brand new me, fashioned by only the best teen genetics."

          "So, the ghost bugs, the virus?" Danny continued to question.

          "All part of my plan, I need to get the children away from the adults all in one place, so I could siphon away the best qualities of each of them. Jazz's brains, Dash's muscles, Paulina's nearly flawless skin…" Spectra listed off.

          "Nearly flawless?" Danny asked confused.

          "She has a mole. Isn't it obvious? I had to treat them all with my little ghost virus to get them all in one place," Spectra replied.

          "And the ghost powers?" Danny asked.

          "A side effect. At some point, the powers will be too much and they'll all burn out, into little withered husks. Won't that make a great class photo?" Spectra laughed gleefully.

          "You'll never get away with this Spectra," Danny told her.

          "Ooh, but I already have and you, Danny, you're the grand prize. I need your genes to lock this perfect body together and stabilize it, so my ghost form never burns out and never grows old. Of course, my preferred option would have been to get that little friend, Shadow, of yours but she's much too suspicious of anything that smells like ghosts. She would have been perfect. Stabilizing my ghost form along with giving me that control over shadows, I'd be unstoppable. But I got you which will work alright. How helpful are you?" Spectra explained and wheeled Danny into the DNA extracting machine.

          Spectra's plan might have been smart, but Danny wasn't going to let her win. Inside the DNA extractor, Danny took hold of the handkerchief that his dad gave him and fed it inside the extractor. Since Spectra wanted Fenton DNA she was gonna get it, but it wasn't going to be Danny's. Spectra didn't notice and was completely elated with her new body. She hurriedly slipped into it and headed out laughing manically, leaving Danny strapped onto the stretcher. Luckily, he wasn't left alone for long as Sasha flew in, completely missing Spectra

          "Sasha!" Danny exclaimed.

          "Danny, what happened?" Sasha asked, hurrying over to the stretcher he was strapped to and struggled to release him.

          "I got knocked out and woke up here. Turns out that Spectra's behind all of the ghost bugs," he explained.

          "I know," Sasha told him.

          "You know? How?" Danny questioned.

          "Dr. Bert Rand, Bertrand. It became obvious who was behind everything after I figured out why the creepy doctor felt so familiar," Sasha explained. "Granted, you probably know more about the reason why than I do. She did do the villain monologue, right?"

          "Yeah. She used everyone's DNA to build herself a new body. Unfortunately, the side effect of the ghost powers are gonna burn everyone out," Danny answered.

          "Shit, we gotta move than. Why can't I get you out?" Sasha complained, still tugging on the straps holding Danny down.

          "They're ghost proof," Danny explained.

          "Damn. Now I wish Tucker was here for two reasons," Sasha sighed.

          Sasha got her wish as after a clang of metal falling her and Danny looked over to see Tucker climbing out of the room's vent. "Hello models!" he greeted, his eyes closed for some reason.

          "Thanks for the compliment, Tuck, but we could really use your help. Nice timing by the way," Sasha said.

          "Feel like getting these things off me?" Danny asked.

          "Why you need me to do that?" Tucker questioned.

          "They're ghost proof," Danny and Sasha answered.

          Tucker nodded in understanding and then pulled out his ecto-blaster. After a few shots, Danny was released from his bonds and instantly transformed back into his ghost form. He and Sasha didn't waste any time explaining things to Tucker. Instead, they grabbed hold of him and went intangible, heading out of the room. Their main goal was to find Spectra, but they came across Bertrand first. He was watching TV in a sitting area with Dash, Paulina, and Xavier.

          "What's up, Doc?" Sasha mocked.

          "You made a bad joke. I'm so proud," Danny smiled at her.

          "Ah, you two are so cute together," Xavier gushed.

          "Back away, ghost girl. The ghost boy is mine," Paulina told her and flirty waved at Danny who waved back. This left an opening in Danny's defenses which Bertrand happily used to attack.

          "Danny! I mean, Phantom!" Sasha exclaimed.

          "He is not yours. Phantom is Shadow's. Just look at how much they care about each other," Xavier argued with Paulina.

          "Guys this is not the time!" Sasha shouted at them.

          Deciding not to pay any more attention to Xavier and Paulina arguing she jumped into the fight. Tucker managed to get dragged in himself after pulling the ecto-blaster on Bertrand, trying to help Danny, and accidentally missing. He was currently pinned underneath Bertrand who was threatening to plunge an oversized needle into Tucker.

          "This is gonna hurt you a lot more than it hurts you," Bertrand told him.

          "How about neither of us gets hurt why isn't that an option?" Tucker questioned as he quaked in fear.

          "Don't worry, Tucker, I'll make sure this only hurts one of you," Sasha assured him. Pointing her containment device at Bertrand Sasha sucked him into it, saving Tucker.

          "Dude, his bedside manners stinks," Danny commented.

          "Very impressive, but a bit late I'm afraid," Spectra spoke up.

          Looking over to where she was floating, Sasha got a look at Spectra's new body. She definitely designed it so that she appeared as a sexy badass. And while it appeared that it was impressing a lot of people, it didn't impress Sasha.

          "I am in a modeling agency," Tucker smiled.

          "It's nice, right? Smart, beautiful, deadly," Spectra bragged.

          "Seems more tacky to me. I mean, flames, Spectra? Really?" Sasha commented. She sent an ecto-blast at Spectra, sending her flying back into the table that Jazz's head was sitting on.

          "I can't feel my toes," Jazz said.

          "Let's see if you can feel this," Spectra replied. Grabbing the jar Jazz was in she threw the girl.

          "No!" Danny cried.

          Luckily Jazz was caught by one of Kwan's duplicates. Unfortunately, he took the jar as a football instead of a container that was certainly containing a person. Danny, Sasha, and Tucker rushed forward to catch her as one of the Kwan's toss her into the air again, hoping that one of the duplicates would catch it.

          "I got her!" Sasha exclaimed as she grabbed hold of Jazz's container. She then flew over to Xavier and handed it to him. "Look after her for me will you."

          "Anything for you, Shadow," Xavier replied, happy that he could help his hero.

          Sasha flew back over to Danny as was ready to fight Spectra with him but the two of them were struck down by Spectra's ghost stinger. It sent them tumbling to the ground where she pinned both of them down. Just as she got the upper hand Spectra's body began to glow a ghostly green.

          "Aah, there we go. Your DNA is finally kicking in," Spectra grinned.

          "DNA? She got your DNA?" Sasha asked in a panic.

          "Why did you think I was strapped down to that stretcher?" Danny questioned.

          "And that means I should be all powerful in 3, 2, 1," Spectra counted down. She didn't get what she was hoping for however as Spectra suddenly became fat. Confused as to what happened she let go of Sasha and Danny. "What? What happened? Why do I suddenly feel like blathering on about ghosts? And why do I feel like eating fudge? Lots and lots of fudge."

          "You wanted Fenton DNA. Unfortunately, you got it courtesy of my dad's nose," Danny explained.

          "Nice," Sasha complemented. At that moment Spectra was coated in snot, thanks to the DNA that Danny provided. "Gross!"

          "There's a 'you blew it' pun in here somewhere but I'd rather not," Danny said.

          "You're doomed kids, and you know what, so are your friends. Know that those bugs have dug into them and there's nothing that can get them out," Spectra growled.

          "That's what she thinks," Tucker said and then climbed into the vents.

          Danny and Sasha went into fighting against Spectra, Sasha taking the more distance shot her with ecto-blasts while Danny took the more physical punch her approach. This turned out to be a mistake as he just ended up snot on him wherever he hit Spectra. Several spots of snot stuck to walls, floors, and the ceiling as the fight continued on. Tired of bits of Spectra going all over the place Sasha summoned up some shadows and grabbed hold of the snotty Spectra. With the enemy trapped Danny and Sasha pointed their containment units at her.

          "You're finished, Spectra," Sasha told her.

          "You might have defeated me, but you still haven't stopped my bugs," Spectra threatened.

          "Or have we?" Danny asked as a certain scent filled the hospital. "Do you smell gym shorts and ginger snaps?"

          "Actually, I smell tennis shoes and fudge nutters. Uh, what is that ghastly odor?" Spectra asked. Sasha and Danny shared a knowing look. Soon after the scent filled the building was the hallway filled with swarms of ghost bugs that exited everyone's body. "What? How is this possible?!"

          Danny and Sasha didn't wait to explain it to her. They went to work sucking up all of Spectra and the ghost bugs. Once they were finished the two transformed back into their human forms as all their classmates reverted back to normal. Tucker soon joined them, coming out of the vent. He received high fives from both of his friends.

          "Way to come through in the clutch, Tuck," Danny complemented.

          "Yeah, how do you like that? My first trip to the hospital and I'm the only one who didn't get hurt," Tucker smiled.

          The universe decided to prove him wrong as with the ghost bug out of her body Sam fell on top of him, no longer able to fly. Sasha and Danny winced when they heard a crunch.

* * *

          Sasha and Sam joined the Fenton's in visiting Tucker in an actual hospital. It turned out that Sam broke his leg when she fell on him. So, Tucker's uncomfortable dealings with hospitals weren't over yet.

          "Tucker, just wanted to thank you for helping to get our Jazz out of that awful hospital, although I have to agree with the authorities that ghost plot thing seems pretty farfetched, huh baby," Jack thanked him.

          "Yeah, everybody knows humans can't have ghost powers," Maddie agreed before the two adults headed out.

          "I'm so sorry about your leg," Sam apologized.

          "I told you hospitals reek," Tucker sulked.

          "Oh come on, Tuck, we beat Spectra and you should be fine in 8 to 10 weeks, it could be worse," Danny said.

          "Ugh! I wish I had your guys healing factor," Tucker groaned.

          "I'll see if my mom could figure out a faster way for you to heal," Sasha replied. Feeling her phone buzz in her pocket Sasha took it out and read the message she just got. "Speaking of which I gotta head home. Looks like mom wants me to finally meet the boyfriend."

          "So soon?" Sam asked, knowing that the relationship had just begun.

          "Well if she wants things to move forward it's kinda important that we meet each other. After all, I am part of the package deal when someone dates my mom," Sasha answered.

          "Well good luck. Hopefully, he's not a jerk," Danny wished.

* * *

          Walking home from the hospital the first thing that Sasha spotted was a fancy, expensive looking car parked right outside her house. She'd seen it before from her window during some of her mom's past dates. She might not know much about her mother's boyfriend but one thing she figured out was that this dude was rich. Hopefully, that meant that this guy would treat her mother right. At least she was about to find out a little bit more now.

          "Mom?" Sasha called out when she walked through the door.

          "We're in the living room!" Zoe called back.

          Heading to where Zoe said that they were, Sasha entered the living room. Her mother and her boyfriend were sitting on the couch enjoying a cup of tea and some of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies she'd made after the whole Spectra thing ended. Sasha focused her attention on the boyfriend. The guess that the guy was rich was only more solidified seeing how he was wearing a slick, black suit. He was put together pretty well with his long, silver hair pulled back into a ponytail and his goatee was well trimmed. His midnight blue eyes instantly shot to Sasha when she entered the room.

          "Hello," Sasha greeted.

          "Hello," the man repeated.

          "Sasha, hon, I'd like you to meet Vlad," Zoe said.

* * *


	13. Meet the Boyfriend

          "Sasha, hon, I'd like you to meet Vlad," Zoe said, introducing her daughter to her boyfriend. Vlad set his teacup down on the coffee table, got up from the couch, and walked over to Sasha.

          "It's nice to finally meet you," he said, holding out his hand. Sasha took it and shook hands, happy to see he was being polite. Looked like this rich guy came with manners.

          "Same here," she replied.

          "Your mother has told me so much about you and your excellent baking abilities. And I must say, I have to agree. Your cookies were delectable, I'm happy to have come over soon after you made them," Vlad complimented.

          "Oh, well, thank you," Sasha said, not expecting a compliment right out the gate.

          "Hopefully your mother likes me enough that I'll be able to come around for another of your treats," Vlad said.

          "Vlad," Zoe chuckled.

          "Well she decided to introduce you to me so that's a good sign," Sasha said. "So, what's the agenda for tonight's date?"

          "Actually, Vlad planned something special for the three of us," Zoe told her, setting down her own teacup and walking over to her daughter and her boyfriend. Sasha's eyes widened in surprise.

          "There's a baking expo going on in the next town over and thought it would be a nice place to get to know you better," Vlad explained. "Is that alright?"

          "That sounds great," Sasha agreed.

          "Wonderful! We'll take my car since it's parked right outside," Vlad smiled.

          Zoe quickly gathered the teacups and dumped them off in the kitchen sink before the three of them headed out. Sasha slipped into the back seat of Vlad's car, taking in all the accouterments that came with the rich man's care. There were seat warmers and coolers for the backseats, places to plug electronics in, and a touch screen that could access the internet. Seeing all the stuff for the back Sasha couldn't begin to fathom all the things the front had to offer. Driving off Sasha noticed Vlad's hand entangled with her mothers, resting peacefully on Zoe's leg. She smiled softly at the display of affection.

          "So, Vlad, what do you do exactly?" Sasha asked, wanting to keep up some conversation.

          "I own a few companies that specialize in different areas along with investing here and there. Nothing too exciting I'm afraid. Though they do help to fund my passion projects," Vlad answered.

          "Like what?" Sasha continued to ask.

          "I'd like to say I'm an inventor of sorts, which your mother and I bonded over, seeing as we share that in common. I wish she'd show me her lab and a few projects she's working on," Vlad said. He glanced over at Zoe as if asking if she'd let him in.

          "You'll unlock lab privileges after a few months," Zoe told him.

          "An adventure to look forward to then," Vlad sighed before smiling at Zoe. "Though there are plenty of other adventures and discoveries to make in between."

          "Nothing too extravagant," Zoe wished.

          "Of course, only for special occasions," Vlad promised. "I wish I could shower your mother with gifts and trips but she insists on keeping things simple, which I respect."

          "We're not really extravagant people," Sasha told him.

          Not that they had many opportunities to indulge in that sort of thing. Sasha got the closest out of her and her mother thanks to Nova Super and being friends with Sam. And even then she felt awkward walking into the Manson mansion. They'd been poor for long that wealth was overwhelming, even just seeing it via other people.

          "Still, you Lucas girls deserve something nice. At least let me purchase the two of you a few treats while we're out," Vlad offered.

          "I'm not opposed to a cupcake or two," Zoe giggled.

          "Sasha?" Vlad asked.

          "I guess I can let myself indulge my sweet tooth," Sasha replied.

* * *

          Sasha had fun walking around the baking expo with her mom and Vlad, checking out all the different tables and displays. The displays of intricately designed cakes amazed her with their molding and pipework. She might have been a great baker but her decorating skills were below average when it compared to the work she saw there such as a five layers cake frosted to resemble Van Gogh's "The Starry Night". There were a few times that Sasha stopped to watch a demonstration for a moment and when she turned to catch up with her mom and Vlad she'd catch a brief kiss on the cheek shared between the two. She was sure that most teenagers would gag at the affection but Sasha just softly smiled, happy to see her mom happy. Sasha and Zoe kept their promise and let Vlad purchase them some treats when something appetizing caught their eye. Zoe went with a key lime cupcake while Sasha chose a unicorn macaroon that actually looked like a unicorn. Sasha noted that Vlad got stuck between a dark chocolate and orange cake and a turtle brownie before going for the slice of cake. The three of them had sat down at a table to enjoy their treats where Vlad tried to get to know Sasha a bit better.

          "So tell me, Sasha, any subjects at school that peak your interest?" Vlad asked.

          "I guess English would be the closest," Sasha shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like all my interests fall outside of what they teach."

          "Like what?" Vlad continued.

          "She's a wonderful singer. Her friend, Xavier, has been trying to convince her to try out for the school musical," Zoe jumped in.

          "A songbird," Vlad smiled. "Have you got a song prepared?"

          "Xavier has been helping me figure out some songs but I'm still not sure if I want to audition… if I'll be able to audition," Sasha answered, picking at the corner of her napkin.

          "Why wouldn't you be able to audition?" Vlad questioned.

          Seeing a chance for Sasha and Vlad to bond Zoe quickly came up with a reason to excuse herself. "I'm gonna go wash my hands. You two stay and talk," she said, swiping up their trash before heading towards the bathroom. Vlad and Sasha watched her walked away before Vlad turned back to the conversation.

          "So tell me, why wouldn't you be able to audition?" Vlad asked again.

          "I… I have some things going on in my life… odd jobs with my friends that keep me busy…," Sasha tried to explain without saying anything about her fulltime, nonpaying ghost hunting job.

          "Sasha, dear, if you truly believe that this musical is something you want then you must go for it. Trust me. I wouldn't have gotten where I am today if I didn't go after what I wanted," Vlad advised.

          "It would be much easier if not for the ghosts," Sasha muttered.

          "Ghosts?" Vlad questioned.

          Sasha cursed at herself in her mind for mentioning anything about ghosts. "I'm sure by now you're aware of how Amity Park has a bit of a ghost problem. The probability that ghosts would show up to ruin the musical is pretty high. I don't want to get my hopes up," she answered. It wasn't completely true but it wasn't false either. Ghosts attacks were practically an everyday occurrence interrupting class and hangouts, a constant disturbance in her life.

          "Perhaps, I could be of help in that," Vlad said.

          "What do you mean?" Sasha asked confused.

          "My inventions lean towards the paranormal. I've dealt with my few shares of ghosts and have come up with several devices that keep them at bay," Vlad explained.

          "You're not a ghost hunter are you?" Sasha laughed nervously.

          She and Danny already had the Fentons to deal with along with Valerie and whatever ghosts they were fighting. They didn't need another party trying to destroy them, especially her mother's boyfriend.

          "Oh, no no no, I leave that to other people. Though I keep simple devices on my person in case I get attacked," Vlad told her.

          She relaxed. At least she wouldn't have to worry about Vlad unless he was in the area when a ghost fight broke out. Sasha's fingers brushed over her silver cuff, the small weight of the containment unit attachment feeling a bit heavy in her pocket.

          "I can relate," Sasha said, opening up a bit more than perhaps she should. "My mom made me a small containment unit. It comes in handy for when ghosts interrupt class. My friend, Danny, has one as well, though his is more like a thermos. His parents don't exactly do anything subtly."

          "Is that so?" Vlad asked interested.

          "I'm back!" Zoe announced, interrupting the conversation. Vlad smiled as Zoe sat down next to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Sasha hid her own smile, wondering if she'd get tired of seeing that type of affection. "You two talk about anything interesting?"

          "A few things. I gave Sasha some advice that hopefully will convince her to audition for the musical," Vlad answered.

          "Oh?" Zoe hummed, looking over at her daughter.

          "We'll see," Sasha replied.

          "Well then, shall we continue exploring the expo?" Vlad suggested.

          Zoe and Sasha nodded in agreement and with that the three of them got up to continue walking through the expo hall.

* * *

          After the baking expo, Vlad drove the Lucas' back to their house to say goodbye. Sasha said goodbye to Vlad and thanked him for planning out her mom and his date to include her. She then headed into the living room to give him and her mom a moment alone. The cheek kisses she could handle, Sasha didn't want to witness actual kisses this early. Plopping down on the couch, she waited, knowing that her mom would want to talk to her. Their goodbye didn't take long and soon Sasha heard the door close before hearing Vlad drive away. Zoe walked into the living room a pleasant smile adorning her face.

          "Did you enjoy the expo?" Zoe asked her daughter.

          "Yeah, it was fun. Not something I would ever think about but I'm glad Vlad did," Sasha answered.

          "Speaking of Vlad," Zoe said, walking over and sitting down next to her daughter. "What do you think of him?"

          "He's a pretty good guy," Sasha decided. "It was really sweet that he included me tonight and thought of something fun I would like from what you've told him about my baking skills. He genuinely seemed like he wanted to get to know me. He's nice."

          Zoe relaxed hearing that her daughter accepted her boyfriend. "I'm glad to hear that," she sighed.

          "Plus, it was adorable how lovely you two were secretly being lovey," Sasha teased.

          "You saw that?" Zoe laughed, a dusting of blush appearing on her cheeks.

          "Some small stuff here and there," Sasha told her. "It's nice to see how much he's making you happy. You deserve it."

          "Both of us deserve a bit of happiness," Zoe said, pulling Sasha in for a hug.


	14. Unleash the Dark

          Sasha stood in the choir room, singing along to audition song that Xavier had picked out for her while he accompanied her on the piano. Xavier had pulled out sheet music of different Disney songs, explaining to her the mechanics of the "I Want" song and how well they worked for auditions. That mainly consisted of princess songs that Sasha tried out. She found them to be okay but with her first audition, she didn't want to do anything predictable. After singing a few Sasha was absentmindedly looking through the sheet music when she spotted one that wasn't a princess song. Xavier was going to dismiss it but Sasha told him that perhaps using that song would help her stand out more, an idea Xavier immediately liked. He grew to like the idea even more after running it with Sasha.

          "Amazing! Lancer will definitely be blown away with your audition," Xavier complimented her after completing the song.

          "If I can make it to the audition," Sasha commented.

          "Have you not talked to your boss yet?" Xavier asked. "You have to get on that, girl. We really need your voice. Besides, it will be fun actually working in a show with you."

          "I'll talk to my… boss about it on my way home," Sasha promised, gathering her things up to go.

          "You better. See ya later," Xavier said, sending Sasha off as he went about cleaning up the sheet music.

          Walking out of the school Sasha began to build up her courage. Even with the encouragement from her mom and Vlad and Xavier she still felt a bit nervous. Perhaps it would be easier to talk to Sam about this first. After all, she had encouraged Sasha to start singing in the first place. She was about to pull out her phone to find out where the goth girl was when she saw her running away from something.

          "Sam?" Sasha questioned.

          "Hide me!" Sam begged.

          Thinking on her feet Sasha hurried up to Sam and with her ghost powers dashed the girl away into an alley where they hid behind a dumpster. Sam peeked out to see if they were followed as Sasha just looked at her friend confused.

          "Care to tell me what's going on?" Sasha asked.

          "Ssshh! She might hear you," Sam whispered in response.

          Sam tensed when someone approached but relaxed a bit when it turned out to be Danny and Valerie who also appeared to be running away from something. She motioned to them to ask what they were hiding from.

          "Hiding from Dash," Danny answered.

          "Hiding from Nathan," Valerie answered. "You two?"

          "I'm more so hiding Sam. Though I'm not sure from what," Sasha told her.

          They got the answer as Sam pointed to the alley's opening as Sam's mom ran by carrying a frilly lacy pink dress. Something that no one would ever wear in a million years, let alone a goth like Sam.

          "Sammy-kins! At least try it on!" Mrs. Manson called out as she continued to search for her daughter.

          "That explains it," Sasha commented.

          "C'mon," Danny said once the coast was clear. "We can all hide in my house."

          Sasha, Danny, and Sam took the lead, having experience running thanks to the ghost hunting while Valerie fell behind them.

          "Why are you helping her all of a sudden?" Sasha asked, not liking that Danny was hanging out with one of the people who wanted them destroyed.

          "Ah, she hid me from Dash earlier today. I'm just returning the favor," Danny shrugged off.

          "Well, be careful. The last thing you'd want to do is invite an archenemy into your house," Sam warned.

          Opening up the front door to Danny's house the group of kids stopped in the doorway. Inside the Fenton's living room was Vlad with a blanket around his shoulders and a cup of tea, facing off against Jack in a game of chess. Zoe sat by Vlad's side, looking at him worried while Maddie glared, standing at Jack's side. Jazz just sat at the other end of the couch, ignoring the others by burying herself in a book. Hearing the door open the adults looked up to see who arrived.

          "Ah, hello, Daniel! And, Sasha, it's wonderful to see you again," Vlad smiled at them.

          "Though I wish it wasn't on these terms," Zoe sighed.

          "Vlad?" Danny and Sasha echoed.

          "Wait, you know him?" Danny asked Sasha, taken back.

          "Yeah, he's my mom's boyfriend," Sasha answered before turning to Vlad. "What's going on? You know the Fentons?"

          "Maddie, Jack, and I go way back to our college days. When you told me about your friend, Danny, on our day out I didn't imagine it to be the same Daniel that was the son to my best friends. Isn't it a small world," Vlad explained.

          "You had a day out with him?" Danny questioned Sasha.

          "That's a bit irrelevant at the moment. But that doesn't answer my other question. What's going on?" Sasha asked.

          "Totally valid question," Maddie said, glaring at Vlad.

          "Still steaming?" Vlad asked, a bit regretful.

          "You have no idea," Maddie replied.

          "I was working on a few of my inventions when I was tossed into the Ghost Zone and came out a bit battered on the other side. Or in this case, Maddie and Jack's portal. They've been kind enough to host me while I recover," Vlad explained.

          "I'd be able to check on your injuries better if you were staying with us," Zoe sighed.

          "Don't fret, my dove, you're simply a door away and I wouldn't want to intrude. I'm sure it's still a bit early for Sasha to have her mother's boyfriend to spend the night. Besides, it'll be nice to catch up with old friends. I can't wait to find out more about that marvelous battlesuit you've got, Jack," Vlad assured her.

          "You got it, V-Man!" Jack cheered.

          Maddie rolled her eyes and stormed out of the living room and into the kitchen. Jack, concerned about his wife left the chess match to follow after her. Seeing that Zoe wasn't going to leave Vlad's side Danny grabbed Sasha's arm and dragged her into the coat closet. Zoe, Vlad, and Valerie raised an eyebrow; Valerie confused, Zoe with a smile, and Vlad frowning in contempt. Valerie and Jazz looked over to Sam, hoping she would have an answer but she just shrugged. Inside the dark closet, Sasha summoned up a small ball of light, allowing her and Danny to see each other.

          "Why did you drag me in here?" Sasha asked confused.

          "Sasha, why didn't you tell me that your mom was dating Vlad?" Danny asked, ignoring her question.

          "I didn't think it necessary just yet, after all, I just met the guy. If I knew that your family has a history with him then I would have told you sooner," Sasha explained. "Why does it matter?"

          "He has more than just history with my family. Sasha, Vlad…" Danny tried to tell her before being interrupted by a blaring alarm.

          Deciding to put off their conversation for later Sasha bolted out of the closet, followed by Danny after a moment to see what was going on. Where the Fenton's family portrait had been was instead a panel labeled "Ghost Zone Radar", something not unusual for the ghost hunters. The screen displayed several ghosts moving towards a point. Jack and Maddie looked at it in defense mode.

          "Galloping goblets, it's the Ecto-Exodus Alarm!" Jack shouted.

          "The Ecto-whaty-what?" Danny, Sam, and Jazz asked confused.

          "The Ecto-Exodus Alarm! An alarm that only goes off when we're about to face a massive ghost invasion!" Maddie explained.

          Danny and Sasha shot enough other a look before turning to Sam, asking her to stall them. Sam tripped Jack as he went running towards the portal while Zoe went to stop Maddie but was beaten to it by Jazz who dropped her book, causing Maddie to fall into the closet. With their path cleared Danny and Sasha sprinted down the stairs into the basement. Standing in front of the flashing red light of the ghost portal Danny and Sasha transformed. They braced themselves for whatever was coming.

          "Okay, here we go…," Sasha warned.

          The tension was broken as the Box Ghost's head poked out of the portal. "Beware!" he exclaimed, flailing his arms a bit to try and appear threatening.

          "Oh man, only you?" Danny sighed in relief.

          He had spoken too soon as a blue beam of ectoplasm shot out of the portal, hitting Danny square in the chest and knocking him down. Blinking him and Sasha saw that the reason behind this to be Skulker. The ghost ghost hunter didn't pay attention to them, however, instead turning back and addressing the portal.

          "I told you there was a way out through here," he said, causing others to poke their heads out, all looking scared.

          Getting the go ahead from Skulker hundreds of ghosts burst out of the portal and out of the Fenton's house. Danny, having enough of being stood on, grabbed hold of Skulker's leg. Sasha watched as he dragged Skulker out of the house before following after him and the other ghosts who had fled. She got there in time to see Danny go for a punch but was stopped by a ghost dragon.

          "I know this might sound a little fishy, but Skulker isn't the bully here!" the ghost riding the dragon, Pointdexter, pleaded with Danny.

          "Bully?" Danny questioned.

          "What's going on? Who are you running from," Sasha asked the nerdy ghost, hoping to get some answers. There was an icy cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. Sasha prayed that he wouldn't speak the name her mind instantly went to.

          Some of the ghosts stopped running and turned to the duo. "His name is Pariah Dark the King of All Ghosts," Ember told them.

          "And why would we be in a hurry… We'll always have time for this," Skulker said, teaming up with ghosts who stayed behind.

          While Danny and Sasha were a team of ghost hunters the ghosts surrounding them had more of a vendetta against Danny. Whether that was because Danny was the one who had captured and defeated them the most or if they were afraid of Sasha because of her connection to Blackheart Sasha didn't know. But the group of ghosts gained up on Danny while few of them stuck around to keep Sasha at bay.

          "Leave him alone!" Sasha shouted, doing her best to push past the ghosts blocking her from the fight.

          She finally found a breakthrough when Johnny 13's shadow tried to hold her back. Emitting a burst of light to dissolve him Sasha broken into the middle of the fight, protectively standing in front of Danny who leaned against her, weakened. Drawing shadows close to her, Sasha created an orb around them. It started out close but Sasha expanded it out, pushing the attacking ghosts away from them. The attacking ghosts didn't resist, some of them having fled when they first saw Sasha collecting the shadows. Sasha winced, never having controlled the amount of shadows she was now. Emerging from the logo on her chest, shadows began to creep out and started to spread across her body. Seeing this, Sasha freaked out and released her control over the shadows, causing the ones creeping across her body to rubberband back into her. The force sent Sasha, and in turn Danny, falling towards the ground. Feeling them fall Sasha pulled Danny above her, making sure that she took on the brunt of the fall seeing how injured he already was. The impact of hitting the pavement caused both Sasha and Danny to transform back to their human halves along with causing Sasha to pass out. Sam rushed outside, having heard the crash.

          "You two okay?" she asked. Danny shot her a look as he got off of Sasha revealing to Sam their unconscious friend. "Sorry, standard question. What was that about?"

          "I dunno. But I think Vlad Plasmius just became the least of our worries," Danny answered. "Come on, help me get Sasha inside."

          Sam crouched down and threw one of Sasha's arms around her shoulders while Danny did the same with her other arm. Together they brought Sasha inside the Fenton's to her mom, Danny limping a bit of the way.

* * *

          The next day Zoe hurried out of bed and got dressed. She had taken a sick day from the school to go over and help Maddie and Jack work on their battlesuit, sensing that something bad was coming. The swarm of ghosts coming through the previous day along with Sasha confiding that the shadows started to consume when Zoe had gone into protective mode. She needed to make sure her daughter was safe. Once she was completely dressed Zoe headed next door. There was lots of work to be done and an unknown deadline hurriedly approaching. The Fenton's door was unlocked for her, allowing Zoe to head straight towards the basement. Jack and Maddie were busily working on separate parts of the battlesuit while Vlad stood to the side and watched them. Upon seeing her Vlad offered Zoe up a warm cup of coffee which Zoe gladly paid for with a kiss.

          "You're supposed to be recovering," she said.

          "Don't worry, dove, I'm just handing tools to Jack when he needs them. No heavy lifting. Besides, things are far too interesting down here for me to just stay up in the guest room," Vlad assured her.

          "I guess that's alright," Zoe relented before going off to help Maddie who welcomed her with a smile.

          "It's good to finally work on something with you," Maddie told her.

          Zoe nodded in agreement. "I just wish it was under better circumstances," Zoe said.

          "And perhaps in better company," Maddie muttered under her breath, sneaking a glare at Vlad.

          Zoe let out a disappointed sigh. She didn't understand why Maddie was angry with Vlad, her friend keeping her mouth shut after finding out about Zoe and Vlad's relationship. Though that didn't stop the scoffs and glares Zoe would catch her sending Vlad's way. It was something they needed to talk about but Zoe set it aside for now. There were more important things to focus on at the moment.

          "Vladdy, my man! Could you hand me that watchermajigit?" Jack asked, not bothering to look away from the top part of the battlesuit that he was working on. Vlad obliged, grabbing the tool that was next to him and bringing it over to Jack.

          "Here you go, old chum. Any idea when this suit might be finished?" Vlad asked.

          "Quit pushing me, V-man, I'm working on it as fast as I can!" Jack replied annoyed.

          A loud noise echoed through the basement, only Vlad locating the source though Maddie and Zoe looked around, tense.

          "Can we… pick it up a little bit?" Vlad asked Jack.

          "What was that?" Maddie questioned.

          "Could be me. I made huevos rancheros for breakfast," Jack offered.

          The sound echoed again but this time it was followed by the portal door bursting open, part of it flying right into Jack. From out of the portal came the Fright Knight riding on top of his horse.

          "Go, and find the King's ring," the ghost commanded.

          Following his commands a Skeleton army marched out, running out of the Ghost Zone and flying out of the Fenton's out to fulfill their duty.

          "Jack, we have to shut the portal!" Maddie shouted to her husband.

          "Yeah, I'll get right on that," Jack replied, struggling to get the broken part of the door off of him.

          Maddie and Zoe ran towards the switch that would close the portal but both were grabbed by the Fright Knight, hoisting them off the ground. Both women struggled to get out of his grasp, Zoe more frantic than Maddie. Seeing his wife in danger gave Jack all the strength to toss the door off of him.

          "LET GO OF THE WOMAN I LOVE!" both Jack and Vlad exclaimed.

          Zoe stopped struggling for a moment, looking over at her boyfriend in shock. The l word not having come up yet in their relationship. "Vlad," she whispered. She was brought back to her situation feeling the Fright Knight's grasp on her wrist tighten, causing Zoe to let out a cry in pain. She couldn't help but be reminded of her past, a traumatic flashback sending her into a bit of a frenzy in attempts to free herself. Vlad turned to the incomplete battlesuit.

          "Is any part of that suit operational?" he asked Jack.

          "Well the pants part, but it's not calibrated yet. Using the suit could kill you," Jack answered.

          "Well then, maybe you should try it first. It is your battlesuit!" Vlad said, manipulating Jack.

          An ectobeam from the Fright Knight's sword sent Jack into action after slamming Vlad into the wall to save him, something that Vlad glared daggers at him for.

          "That it is, V-man. It's time to kick a little butt. And these are just the pants to kick it in!" Jack agreed and jumped into the pants part of the battlesuit. "Neural receptors engage…"

          Pressing a button the neural receptors of snakelike metal attached itself to Jack's spinal cord and arms. All hooked up Jack was able to control the pants. Jumping into action Jack ran towards the Fright Knight, dodging all the shots the ghost threw at him. He jump-kicked the Fright Knights arms repeatedly, freeing Zoe and Maddie. Maddie rolled out of the way while Vlad ran up to Zoe and hurriedly ushered her out of the way. With his wife and friend freed Jack ran at the Fright Knight head on and super kicked him and his horse out of the house.

          "The kick is up - AND IT'S GONE! Ha ha! Nobody can touch me while I'm wearing the Fenton…" Jack's voice started to drag as he felt the effects of the battlesuit. "And the… ectoskeleton… weakening… me."

          "Jack!" Maddie exclaimed, running up to her husband and catching him before he fell. "The suit's draining you like a battery! Vlad, help me get these pants off Jack!"

          "Nope, sorry, that's all you," Vlad said, walking away with Zoe shaking in his arms.

          There was only so much pretending to like Jack that Vlad could accomplish and getting Jack out of the pants crossed that line. Besides, Zoe needed some taking care of. Removing her from the situation Vlad took her upstairs to comfort his crying girlfriend and help her calm down.

* * *

          While Sasha had gone to school she hadn't really been to many of her classes. Since she'd been knocked out and put on bed rest for the night, Danny had been dealing with all of the invading ghosts. Giving him a break, Sasha decided that she would take care of the ones who thought the school was a great place to hide out. It mainly consisted of capturing minors ghosts but there were more than enough to keep her occupied. She didn't find a moment of peace until after lunch, something her stomach was displeased about. Searching the hallways Sasha located her friends if only to give them a brief update before being dragged away by another ghost. Danny smiled upon seeing her and instantly pulled her into their conversation.

          "Hey, Sasha. Please tell Tucker he's nuts," Danny asked of her.

          "Why am I telling him he's nuts?" Sasha asked, totally fine to do so if he gave her a reason.

          "I'm not," Tucker protested.

          "And I don't think he is either. Valerie is one of your enemies, Danny. Do you think it's smart to be letting her this close?" Sam said.

          "You're letting Valerie stick around?" Sasha questioned him, not liking what Sam was telling her.

          "I can handle it," Danny shrugged off.

          "You're not the only one she wants to destroy, Danny. Phantom and Shadow are both on her hit list," Sasha reminded him, frowning.

          "She's not so bad once you get to know her," Danny said.

          "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself, Fenton," Valerie said, having heard the last part of their conversation. As she walked over to join the conversation Sam and Tucker turned away angry while Sasha gave her a bit of the stink eye. "What's up with them?"

          "They're… really good friends and they're just being overprotective," Danny answered.

          "Of what? It's not like we have anything to hide," Valerie asked.

          "You haven't exactly been great to us in the past except when you want something, so excuse us for being suspicious" Sasha pointed out.

          The conversation was interrupted by Danny's and Sasha's ghost sense going off. Sasha looked down at her bracelet, the display showing that there were two ghosts somewhere in the school. She covertly signaled that to Danny who nodded in response, thinking of an excuse to leave.

          "Woah! I gotta jet!" he said, running away from the group down a hallway.

          "That reminds me, my mom wants me to drop by the nurse's office. See you guys later," she said to Sam and Tucker before running off in the other direction.

          Valerie looked back and forth at the directions that Danny and Sasha ran off. "Where are they running to all the time? Only time I see people running off like that have a job, or are in a relationship."

          "So what if they're in a relationship?" Sam bluffed, hoping that the idea of Danny and Sasha dating would drive Valerie off.

          "Mmhm. Right," Valerie replied, not buying it.

          "What are you talking about?" Sam questioned, not liking Valerie's tone.

          "It's clear that she likes him," Valerie answered, referring to Sasha. "But they both deny it any time it's mentioned. If she likes him, I mean,  _like him_  like him, she better make a move. Because if she doesn't, somebody will."

          As Sam and Tucker dealt with Valerie and Sasha dealt with the other ghost, Danny was dealing with Vlad who had made an appearance as Plasmius. He had managed to blast him out of the school building and was now facing off against him on the football field. As Danny went to attack him again Plasmius stopping him by grabbing Danny by the collar of his shirt.

          "Calm, down, Daniel! I didn't come here to fight you, I have other things to worry about!" Vlad scolded him, throwing Danny down on the ground.

          "Like messing with Sasha's mom? I don't know how you're trying to win my mom over with this but I won't allow you to hurt them," Danny growled.

          The sound of a neighing horse stopped their arguing as the Fright Knight and the army of skeletons arrived on the field. The Fright Knight chopped off a wing on one of the posts in attempting to hit Vlad. Danny went to work fighting off some of the skeletons, taking them on two by two. Just as he was about to get sliced by one of the skeleton's swords he was saved by a blast of red ectoplasm, destroying the skeleton the sword belonged to. Danny turned to see that Vlad had saved him.

          "You're helping me?" he asked confused as he continued to fight off skeletons. "Whaddya want, my mom's cell number?"

          "No!" Vlad protested.

          He went to say more when a bunch of skeletons snuck up on him and Danny. They were about to be overtaken when a white ectoblast sent them sprawling away. Sasha flew up to them joining the battle.

          "Looks like you could use some more help. Who's your friend?" Sasha asked, looking at Vlad who stared at her in surprise. He wasn't expecting to find another half ghost and one who was friends with Danny.

          "He's not a friend," Danny frowned. "He's just being uncharacteristically helpful."

          "Come now…" Vlad went to say before he was grabbed by the Fright Knight.

          "The king's prize. Return it!" the ghost demanded.

          "I don't have it," Vlad explained. "But, if you join me, perhaps toge…"

          Once again Vlad was cut off though this time it was from a blast of pink energy, sending Vlad and the Fright Knight away from each other. Looking over in the direction the blast came from they saw that Valerie was coming upon them in her ghost hunting gear, holding up a smoking cannon.

          "Guess what, everybody! The best ghost hunter in Amity Park is here! And that means you're about to get your BUTTS HANDED TO YOU!" she announced.

          "She really is quite good at this," Vlad commented.

          "She also thinks we're the enemy," Danny pointed out.

          "Good point," Vlad replied.

          "And you still find it okay to hang out with her," Sasha commented to Danny.

          "Not the time!" Danny argued.

          Valerie displayed her disdain for ghosts as she threw two explosive balls towards the three of them. Sasha called up her shadows, protecting the three from the grenades blasts. Vlad's eyes shot to Sasha, once again surprised though this time it was over her powers.

          "Impressive," Vlad complimented her.

          "Thanks," Sasha grunted, keeping the shield up as the grenades exploded.

          "Don't," Danny growled at Vlad, already seeing Vlad plan how he could get Sasha onto his side. Even if he didn't already realize that Sasha was the ghost who had impressed him.

          Bringing down the shield of shadow Sasha flew out, dodging blasts from Valerie while sending a few blasts out herself at the skeleton army. Vlad followed after her, taking on some skeletons while going on the defensive while the Fright Knight sent blasts. Danny was also going to go on the defense when Valerie flew by and grabbed him by his collar.

          "Alright, ghost, what's going on here?" he questioned.

          "That," Danny answered, pointing at the Fright Knight and the army.

          They looked over to see Vlad create two duplicates of himself while Sasha created one other of herself. The duplicates created a line of defense, firing off blasts at a large group of skeletons that was charging at them. Vlad flashed Sasha another impressed look as they pulled their duplicated back into themselves. Sasha didn't pause to acknowledge him, instead focusing on more of the skeleton army. Distracted Vlad ended up getting tackled by the Fright Knight.

          "Uhh… thanks?" Valerie said.

          "You're welcome," Danny replied, freeing himself from her grasp before continuing to talk to Valerie about the Fright Knight. "Look, I know this is going to be hard to believe but that guy is the problem right now, and I could really use your help."

          "I still don't trust you, or your friends," Valerie told him.

          "You don't have to trust me. Just… fight with me!" Danny asked of her, holding out his hand.

          Valerie thought on it for a moment before shaking Danny's hand in truce. Danny raced off and helped Sasha get the Fright Knight away from Vlad. Valerie came up after then and punched the Fright Knight in the face, knocking him to the ground. The four of them stood in a line, ready to finally get rid of the Fright Knight. But the ghost wasn't done.

          "Fool! All I wanted to do was seize the ring and return to Pariah's Keep. But now, you give me no choice," the Fright Knight threatened. Getting up he held his sword up, which had burst into flame, and plunged it into the ground. "By the authority vest in me by my Lord and Liege, I claim this town now and forever under the banner of Lord Pariah, The King of All Ghosts!"

          A green wave of ectoplasm emerged from the sword and swept through the town. The skeleton army froze as the wave passed through them. The Fright Knight stepped away from his sword which sent a column of the green ectoplasm into the sky. Once the column reached a certain point it flooded into a dome that closed itself over the whole town. Danny, Sasha, Vlad, and Valerie looked at it horrified. Danny and Sasha flew up to the dome. Danny crashed into it, proving unable to pass through while Sasha placed her hands on it.

          "Maybe if I…" Sasha thought to herself. Concentrating, shadow began to emerge from her fingertips, creating a circle of shadow on the dome. Keeping up the shadow Sasha tried to push her hand into the dome. Sasha groaned. She had never tried to travel through shadows before, not daring to try. But if there was ever a moment to see if it was possible, now was the time. Her hand had almost managed to go in as deep as her wrist when from the logo on her chest shadows started to spread. "No!"

          Releasing her control over the shadows they rubber banded back into Sasha just like the previous night, causing her to fall towards the ground. Her hands held tight to her chest, eyes closed and watering with tears.

          "Sasha!" Danny cried out. He zoomed to her, catching her before she could hit the ground. Vlad's eyes widened, taking what Danny had said along with how they interacted when Sasha first showed up and put those two things together. He tucked that information away for later.

          "The shadows…?" Sasha asked, curling herself against Danny.

          "They're gone," he assured her, figuring out what had set her off.

          Accepting Danny's answer Sasha opened her eyes and looked down to see that what Danny said was true. She let out a shaky breath before reluctantly pulling herself out of Danny's arms. They needed to figure out what was going on and taking care of the Fright Knight seemed like the reasonable response. As the three half ghosts prepared to fight Valerie flew over to the sword and attempted to grab it, only to have the Fright Knight knocking her away. He hit her hard enough that she fainted once she hit the ground, her hunter gear retracting to reveal how banged up she was.

          "Valerie!" Danny exclaimed.

          "My pawn!" Vlad gasped, causing Danny and Sasha to shoot him an odd look. "I mean that poor girl."

          The three crouched down next to her allowing the Fright Knight to tower in front of them to deliver his final message.

          "The sword has sunk, your die now cast,  
          The sword removed shall signal fast.  
          Make reappear the ring thou hast,  
          Or your next day shall be your last," the Fright Knight recited before disappearing in a puff of smoke and bats, leaving the skeleton army which remained motionless.

          "'The ring thou hast'?"Danny questioned. Sasha and Vlad shrugged uncertain.

          "Children of Amity Park!" Maddie's voice echoed through the dome over a microphone. "Report to the sage bosom of the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle!"

          "Mom!" Danny exclaimed.

          "Maddie!" Vlad exclaimed.

          "I can't let her see me like this!" the two of them echoed together before leaving

          Sasha stared at where Vlad puffed away, confused after hearing that he knew Danny's mom. Shaking her confused thoughts away for the moment she transformed back while nobody was around still. Thinking of a quick reason for being where they were Sasha knelt down next to Valerie looking over her injuries. Taking it a step further she ripped off strips from the bottom of her shirt to use to try and patch Valerie's injuries.

          "What are you doing?" Danny asked Sasha once he ran back after transforming.

          "Creating an excuse," Sasha answered.

          With understanding hitting him Danny went and mimicked Sasha, tearing off bits of his shirt and knelt next to Sasha, handing her the material to use. When Maddie and Mr. Gray arrived on the scene they were going to start yelling at the kids for being out during a ghost invasion but didn't when they noticed Danny and Sasha patching an injured Valerie. Instead, they just helped the three into the Fenton's RV and headed towards the safety of their house.

* * *

          Danny and Sasha stood in the basement of the Fenton's house, watching the news as the adults worked on the battlesuit. Valerie stood with them, having gotten properly bandaged up by Zoe when they arrived back at the house. The news had been running overtime with all of the ghost activity but now it was focused on the dome encasing the city.

          "I'm Tiffany Snow. We are in our fourth hour of captivity and Amity Park remains cut off from the outside world. With more on that, outside the safety of our studio is our own Lance Thunder. Lance?" the anchorwoman went over before sending it out.

          The camera changed to the edge of town where the weatherman stood near a drill that was trying to break through the dome. Lance, the weatherman, didn't understand that he was on air for a bit, and just complained before realizing it.

          "Why the heck do I have to do this? I'm a weatherman, for the love uh… Tiffany, despite the odd circumstances, an eerie calm has fallen over Amity Park, emergency teams still having no luck in piercing the dome. Wishing he had taken that job in Chicago, this is Lance Thunder, Action News," he reported.

          The kids looked worried over from the TV to how the battlesuit was going. The only one who wasn't working on it was Jack who was still recovering from his first time using the suit. Vlad and Zoe worked in tandem, handing off tools when the other needed it.

          "This suit is the only hope we have to punch through that dome," Maddie said.

          "With how things are going though I don't think we'll be able to perfect the neural receptors," Zoe analyzed.

          "Which is why I'll wear the suit. If anyone gonna beat that ghost back into the Ghost Zone, it's me," Jack replied, trying to stand up.

          "No, Jack, look at you! You're still wiped out from the last time!" Maddie protested, running over to help her husband.

          Zoe stopped her work to go get a drink, Sasha joining her to learn what happened with chose to head upstairs, needing a moment to rest away from the craziness. Danny, instead of joining his friend, walked over to Vlad.

          "It kills ya, doesn't it? How much they love each other?" Danny asked him smugly.

          "I have other things to worry about and so do you," Vlad glared at him.

          Zoe, having given Sasha the run down and gotten water, walked over to Vlad and handed him a glass. Vlad happily took it and gave Zoe a kiss on the check in return before she went back to working on the battlesuit. Danny glared at Vlad who looked at him smugly before taking a drink. As Jack went to go get some water himself Vlad, still drinking, tripped the man which no one noticed except for Danny.

          "And yet, I will always have time for that," Vlad commented before turning away from Danny.

          Danny went to argue more but Sasha pulled him back by his arm. "We need to talk to the others," she told him. Danny shot another glare at Vlad before nodding in agreement. Sasha watched him walk upstairs, confused as to what Danny's problem was with Vlad, before heading upstairs herself. Once up there Valerie gave Sam and Tucker a sly smile which caused Sam to walk over angrily to Danny and Sasha and grab their arms.

          "Can I talk to you two for a second?" she asked, pretending to give them a choice before dragging them into the coat closet.

          On there way there Sasha grabbed hold of Tucker, dragging him in there with them. Once inside Sam slammed the door shut, sending the four of them into darkness for a moment before Sasha summoned up a small ball of light.

          "Yo man, you do know the minute you turn into Danny Phantom or Sasha turns into Sasha Shadow she's gonna shoot first and ask questions never," Tucker said, trying to get through to Danny.

          "He has a point," Sasha agreed

          "She's not gonna find out," Danny shrugged off.

          "How do you know she's not snooping right now?" Sam challenged. "What if that ring on her finger is some sort of ghost detection device?"

          "Ring?" Danny and Sasha questioned, remembering the Fright Knights warning.

          "What are you talking about?" Danny asked.

          Danny reached for the doorknob and opened it a crack to peer out. Sasha snuffed out her light, not wanting Valerie to see it by accident. As Danny and Sasha peered out at Valerie they spotted a ring on her finger. Spotting them Valerie flirtatious waved at Danny who in turn waved back. Gritting her teeth Sasha pulled Danny back and closed the door. She reignited the light.

          "That has to be the ring the Fright Knight's looking for," Sasha said, getting back to the point.

          "Vlad must have given it to her," Danny figured out.

          "Vlad? What does he have to do with this?" Sasha questioned.

          Danny, Sam, and Tucker shot each other a look before turning back to Sasha.

          "Do you really not know?" Tucker asked her.

          "Obviously not," Sasha answered annoyed. Sam and Tucker turned to Danny, leaving it up him to give Sasha the answer.

          "Vlad is Plasmius. He and my parents were working on a portal back in their college days and my dad accidentally blasted him… turning him into a half ghost like us. Since then he's hated my dad and has a weird obsession with my mom. He's not a friend, he's an enemy," Danny told her.

          Sasha was silent and straight faced though her friends could see the tidal wave of changing emotions skirting across her eyes. Sam and Tucker shot Danny a worried look before he continued on, feeling nervous himself.

          "I wanted to tell you when I first found out he was dating your mom but then all this ghost stuff happened. Look, I don't know what he's planning with your mom but you deserve to know, and I promise to do whatever I can to help stop him," he continued to explain.

          She looked at the door, her eye now ablaze with fury. "I'm gonna talk to him," Sasha said, her jaw locked in a scowl. Danny, Sam, and Tucker all grabbed Sasha as she went to get up and pulled her back down.

          "No!" they whisper shouted.

          "You said you'd do whatever to help," Sasha glared at Danny.

          "And I will but now's not a good time," Danny promised.

          "Not a good time? He's deceiving my mom!" Sasha hissed.

          "And if he finds out that I told you then he's gonna expose my secret to my parents and then the chaos is gonna get even worse," Danny told her. Sasha looked away from her friends, keeping her eyes on the closet door. She didn't get up to move, just sat there frustrated, conflicted over whether to protect her mother or her friend. Danny saw this and carefully put a comforting hand on her leg. "Look, I can help you 'discover' his identity later so that you can confront him. But for now, he's helping us. We have bigger things to focus on like the ring. We need to get the other ghosts to tell us. Okay?"

          "Fine," Sasha growled. "Come on, let's go."

          Sasha transformed and grabbed Sam before going intangible and left the house. Danny couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief before transforming himself. Grabbing Tucker the two followed after the girls in search of the other ghosts.

* * *

          Using the ghost tracking in Sasha's bracelet Team Phantom Shadow located the closest of the nonskeletal ghosts in a hunting and sporting store. It wasn't hard to figure out that this was where Skulker decided to hunker down. Danny decided to take the immediate route upon seeing Skulker in the corner and went to suck him into the Fenton Thermos.

          "I'd much rather kick your butt, but this works too!" Danny smiled.

          Skulker didn't get sucked into the thermos. It turned out the ghost hunter had set up a cardboard cutout that fell to the floor. Surprised, Danny didn't even see the real Skulker come up behind him and punch Danny into some camping supplies.

          "Did you actually think you could sneak up on me?" Skulker laughed.

          As Skulker went to continue the fight, shadows jumped up from the floor and entrapped him. His eyes widened in fear as Sasha came into the frame followed by Sam and Tucker. "Maybe he can't but I can," she said. "We're here for information."

          "Let's tell them, Skulker. Maybe they can help us," Poindexter pleaded as he came into the store riding the ghost dragon. He was joined by Technus, Ember, Walker, Klemper, and Walker's right-hand man.

          "Please, tell us what's going on! Let us help you guys!" Danny asked.

          Skulker was reluctant but nodded his head in agreement, ready to cooperate. Seeing this Sasha dismissed her shadows, freeing the ghost. Danny decided to take this opportunity to land a punch on the ghost.

          "How is that helping?" Sam questioned.

          "It's payback. It helps me on the inside," Danny responded.

          His friends rolled their eyes before the team and the other ghost gathered together around a small fake fire. Everyone was quiet as Skulker began his tale.

          "It was many years ago. Before you. Before me. Before most of us. His name was Pariah Dark and he ruled the Ghost Zone. He was a ghost of such power and magnitude, only he could control the entities contained within the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage. When wearing both he could do anything. Until a group of powerful ancient ghosts banded together in a last ditch effort to defeat the King by locking him with the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. Or so we thought."

          "He's only been freed for a day and he's already destroyed our homes," Ember rightfully complained.

          "And that's without the Ring," Sasha muttered.

          "We can't let him get it! But I'm gonna need all of you to help us put the Ghost King to sleep," Danny asked of the ghosts. "I'll need you to battle against all odds, face untold danger, doom, and destruction, with no guarantee of ever coming back. WHO'S WITH ME?"

          There was silence for a second before the ghosts burst out into laughter.

          "Cute but no dice," Ember said after wiping away the tears of laughter.

          "There's only two ghosts who have a chance of taking down Pariah Dark. Option one would be Black Heart," Walker explained. Sasha tensed. Danny, Sam, and Tucker glanced over to her worried. "No one has been able to ever defeat him, some of us have barely escaped our unfortunate encounters. He just might be ruthless enough to defeat Pariah Dark. The wild card we may need to play."

          "Not a good idea. Black Heart doesn't play to any rules except for his own. If he were to defeat the Ghost King who says he wouldn't just take his place? And that's if he agrees to be on our side. There's always the possibility of him aiding Pariah Dark to gain more power. He's not just a wild card, he's a death omen," Sasha explained.

          A shiver ran up Danny, Sam, and Tucker's spine. The ghosts around the fire nodded in agreement, none of them wanting to get anywhere near Black Heart.

          "And the second option?" Tucker asked.

          All the ghosts turned and looked at Sasha. "Black Heart's apprentice," Walker answered.

          "Me?" Sasha questioned, taken aback.

          "We've seen your shadows," Skulker said.

          "You have Black Heart's power," Walker added.

          "And a good sense of morals to go with them," Poindexter smiled.

          "If she fights. Then we'll fight," Ember told the team.

          "Sasha?" Danny asked, looking over to see if his friend would actually do it. Sasha didn't reply, she just stared off into the fake fire, her body ever so slightly shaking. The group of ghosts glanced at each other before heading out.

          "We'll give you some time to think about it," Poindexter said.

          "But I'd hurry up. We don't have much longer," Skulker added in.

* * *

          Sasha sat on top of her roof, looking up at the green ghost dome in contemplation. She hadn't said anything to her friends since their conversation with the other ghosts. The three of them grew more worried when Sasha wouldn't even look at them, instead brushing past them towards her house once they returned to the Fenton's closet. She was sat on her roof for an hour before Danny decided to go check on her. He flew up to the Lucas' roof and landed before transforming back into his human form. Instead of approaching Sasha head on he simply walked over and sat down next to her. There was silence between them for a moment before Danny decided to speak.

          "I can't imagine what's going through your head right now," he said. "You're not gonna fight, are you?"

          "Black Heart and I are so similar. You've seen the shadows try and consume me twice now. If I fight… I'm afraid I won't be able to stop the shadows. And I'm afraid if that happens…," Sasha's voice trailed off, ashamed.

          "You're not him, Sasha. You won't ever be like him," Danny tried to assure her.

          "You don't know that," Sasha whispered looking away from him. "I'm sorry."

          Danny scooted closer to Sasha and put his arm around her shoulders, bringing her into a hug. "We'll figure something out," he promised. Sasha leaned into him, thankful for the moment of comfort amidst the craziness.

          The two stayed like that for a moment, needing a breather before they heard a door open. Peeking out over the side of the roof Danny and Sasha saw that Vlad had walked out of the Fenton's house and stood waiting by the Specter Speeder which was parked out on the street.

          "This might be the perfect time to get Vlad to reveal himself. I need to go down and talk to him, just stay up here and watch for now," Danny told her.

          Sasha didn't like that she couldn't confront Vlad herself but nodded in agreement. This way Vlad wouldn't think Danny exposed his secret when he found out that Sasha knew. Leaving the roof Danny walked down through the house and met Vlad outside. She stayed hidden on the roof and watched.

          "What were you doing in there?" Vlad asked, not liking seeing Danny come out of the Lucas' house.

          "Sasha's my friend, Vlad. I'm allowed to go over and talk to her," Danny replied.

          "Nothing about me I hope," Vlad narrowed his eyes threatening.

          "I'm very well aware of our deal," Danny scowled. It was easier to lie to Vlad without trying to actually lie. And Vlad seemed to be satisfied with the answer. "You're putting innocent people in danger. It stops. Now."

          "Really? You know what I'm up to? Your tiny teen mind has pieced together my plot?" Vlad asked him smugly.

          "That you stole the ring, woke the Ghost King, gave it to Valerie to hide it and now you're waiting for your chance to steal it back?" Danny raddled off. "The only thing I can't figure out is what you're up to with Ms. Lucas."

          "That's pretty good. It's almost as though I barely consider you a threat. And as for my relationship with Zoe, I have you to thank for that. After all, you're the one who suggested online dating. It's just an added bonus that she's the mother of your friend. And I must say, Sasha is such an interesting girl," Vlad replied, riling Danny up. Sasha's eyes narrowed, figuring out that Vlad must have guessed out her secret when the three of them were fighting the Fright Knight and the skeleton army. Danny's eyes blinked aglow in his ghostly green. "Oh, there's that temper of yours again. What ARE you going to do? What if Valerie sees us, hm?"

          Too enraged to think of the consequences Danny fired a blast at the streetlight, causing the small, ghost protected dome that Fenton's put up to go black. Danny fired another blast, this one hitting Vlad in the chest and caused him to fall out of the Fenton's ghost shield. The teen ran out after him, transforming as soon as he was out. Vlad tried to get up but couldn't move much before Danny kicked him into a billboard. Sasha took this time to run into her house so that she could leave the shield before transforming herself. This fight wasn't going to stay stationary and there was no way she wasn't going to confront Vlad now after what she saw.

          "Sneak attack, very good, Daniel. You're getting more like me with every battle," Vlad said before transforming into Plasmus.

          "I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!" Danny yelled.

          Outside of the ghost shield, Sasha watched as Danny rammed into Vlad, sending the both of them flying off towards the football field.

          "Oh, you're not? Using your powers to get back at people you don't like? Throwing the first punch? You're more like me than you know," Vlad challenged, punching Danny across the field, close to the Soul Shredder.

          "Oh, yeah? Well if that's the case, then instead of asking you to give the ring back, I'll make you!" Danny threatened.

          Sasha had managed to transform and fly over to the football field just in time to see Danny grab hold of the sword.

          "Daniel, NO! The sword is a signal!" Vlad warned him.

          "A signal? A signal of what?" Danny asked, pulling the sword out from the ground.

          "DANNY, NO!" Sasha shouted, remembering the Fright Knight's words.

          "Sasha?" Danny said confused once he saw her.

          "My dear, run!" Vlad pleaded, not knowing that Sasha knew who he was.

          That's all they managed to get out before the ground began to shake. The dome above their heads began to crack, pieces falling to the ground. Sasha, Danny, and Vlad turned intangible to avoid being crushed and looked up to see what was going on. As the dome crumbled away it revealed that the town had been transported into the Ghost Zone. Sasha's body shook in terror as she fell to the ground on her knees. Her hands shot to her head which was aggressively shaking back and forth.

          "The sword has sunk, your die now cast,  
          The sword removed shall signal fast.  
          Make reappear the ring thous hast  
          Or you next day shall be your last," she recited the Fright Knight's words.

          From the corners of the football field, shadows began to appear and crept towards where Sasha was in the center. Danny flashed back to the fight with Freakshow, the memory causing him to drop the sword. He stopped his hands from shaking and hurriedly flew over to Sasha. Placing his hands over Sasha's hands Danny tried to get her to focus on him.

          "Sasha, look at me," Danny pleaded with her, sneaking glances at the approaching shadows.

          "What's happening with her?" Vlad asked, genuinely concerned.

          Danny was going to tell him to buzz off when the Soul Shredder flew right past them. Looking up Danny and Vlad saw that the sword had returned to its owner. Standing alongside him was the Ghost King himself, Pariah Dark. Taking advantage of their frozen states Pariah Dark shot a red blast of ectoplasm at them. Vlad and Danny snapped out of it long enough to use their bodies to try and protect Sasha. Still, the three of them got hit, knocking them unconscious and causing them to return to their human forms. The shadows that had been creeping disappeared into the ground.

          "They're ghosts and humans! Is there no end to this day's surprises?" Pariah Dark said, preparing to fire at them yet again.

          "Hey, Stoneface! Surprise!" Valerie interrupted him.

          She fired a pink ectoplasm blast at him, distracting the Ghost King from the three unconscious bodies below him. Pariah responded by wiping away the ectoplasm and shooting his own blast at Valerie. She dropped her gun in order to avoid the blast, still losing her balance and crashed into a pole. Sliding to the ground Valerie pulled out a missile launcher with shorted out, burning her hand. She took her glove off to check out the damage, allowing the Fright Knight to see the ring.

          "The Ring! Give that to the King now!" the Fright Knight demanded.

          Getting an idea Valerie took off the ring and put it on the end of a missile. "If you want it, then go get it!" she shouted.

          She fired the missile somewhere far away. As the Ghost King flew after it Valerie dropped her bazooka and grabbed her hoverboard. Finding the strength she hoisted Danny, Sasha, and Vlad on it with her before flying off towards the Fenton's Ghost shield which was increasing its size. The Fright Knight followed after them, firing beam after beam, one of which managed to hit a booster from the hoverboard. Thrown off balance they went down, luckily making it within the walls of the Ghost Shield. The Fright Knight tried to follow them but crashed into it.

          "This is not over!" he shouted, trying to hack at the shield with his sword.

          Not wanting to stick around Valerie kicked off the broken booster and continued on to the Fenton's, not realizing the powerful tool that she had given the Ghost King.

* * *

          Sasha let out a groan as she woke up next to Danny on his bed. Her head was swimming and her body ached. All those disappeared when she looked outside and spotted the Ghost Zone sky.

          "No. No, no, no," Sasha whispered. Before her body could go into panic she spotted the transparent form of Vlad. What would have been panic turned to fury. "You."

          Vlad was shocked at the speed in which Sasha flew off the bed and over to him. What shocked him more so however was her strength as she grabbed him and slammed him against Danny's wall, shocking his body back into solidity. The slam woke Danny up, causing him to sit up in alarm.

          "What's going on?!" he asked.

          Sam and Tucker echoed him as they ran into the room. All of them shut up however upon seeing that Sasha had Vlad pinned against the wall.

          "This is your fault," Sasha growled.

          "Sasha…," Vlad tried to speak.

          "No! You don't get to Sasha me!" Sasha shouted, slamming Vlad into the wall once again.

          Pictures that were hung up fell down. Everybody else winced, Vlad feeling the pain while the others imagined it. They could already tell that one more slam would bring cracks in the wall. They watched as in her human form Sasha levitated off the ground so that she would be taller than Vlad as she held him in place by the lapels of his suit jacket. From Vlad's perspective, he saw Sasha's eyes change from her human blues to her ghostly violet irises.

          "You selfish prick. How dare you. How dare you! In a quest for power you've started a war!" she shouted.

          "How did you…?" Vlad tried to ask.

          "I overheard your conversation with Danny. It wasn't hard to put things together after that, especially with the additions from the Fright Knight. For someone more experienced than Danny you certainly haven't mastered secrecy. Have you, Plasmius?" she continued. Vlad couldn't help but flinch, feeling the ice as she spoke the name of his ghost alias. "Now, normally I would have given you a chance. Be it as a half ghost like us or one that we hunt down. But seeing as you're dating my mother, my mother who is a goddamn saint and doesn't deserve to be put through more horrific ghost bullshit, that's not going to be the case. You've started a war, so I'll gladly to make you a casualty."

          Vlad watched horrified as Sasha's bright violet eyes started to get darker with her threat. Her friends looked terrified, seeing shadows start to emerge from her chest. Sasha didn't notice, too focused on Vlad. The shadows were reaching around to Sasha's back when her friends found their voice.

          "Sasha, stop, you're going black," Sam warned.

          She tensed, causing the shadows to recede though this time it didn't rubberband back into her like all the other times. Taking a moment to compose herself Sasha closed her eyes and when she reopened them they were back to her normal blue irises. Though that didn't get rid of the anger behind them.

          "Fine," she whispered and tossed Vlad to side. "You're safe for now, Masters."

          Vlad scrambled to his feet before going invisible and phasing out of the room. Sasha slowly floated back down, appearing fully human once her feet were placed firmly on the ground.

          "Sasha, that was…" Danny tried to verbalize.

          "Terrifying," Tucker finished.

          "I told you. Black Heart and I are one and the same," Sasha muttered, looking away from her friends ashamed.

          "No your not," Danny protested, getting up from his place on his bed and moved over to Sasha, placing his hands on her shoulders.

          Sam and Tucker wanted to agree with Danny but after what they saw the words got stuck in their throats. Sasha herself looked up at Danny and gave him a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, a thank you for his attempt to make her feel better, before looking away. With Vlad out of the room, Sasha was able to notice Valerie who was passed out on the floor. She frowned, seeing fresh injuries scattered across her body.

          "Looks like Valerie took the beating that was meant for us," Sasha pointed out drawing everyone's attention to the unconscious girl.

          Danny looked at her dejected. "All my enemies. I thought I could handle them, but I couldn't."

          "Dude, you can't blame yourself for this. It's not your fault," Tucker told him.

          "Maybe not. But it is my responsibility," Danny said.

          Looking over at Sasha all he had to do was nod in order for her to understand that it was time to transform. With both of them in their ghosts forms Danny grabbed Tucker and Sasha grabbed Sam. The two turned them intangible and phased through the floor into the basement. The parents, minus Mr. Gray, had gathered around the completed teen kept invisible, waiting for the right time.

          "And while the ecto-skeleton can enhance your natural abilities one-hundred fold using it could be fatal," Maddie explained.

          "Which is exactly why I'll be using it. Because if the suit's going to be killing anyone, it's gonna be me," Jack volunteered which Maddie immediately shut down.

          "You're already weak from the first time you used the suit. I'll be going in," Maddie said.

          "Forget it, Mom. Danny needs both of you. I'm doing this," Jazz stepped up.

          "I'll do it!" Mr. Manson voiced.

          "I'll do it!" Mrs. Manson argued.

          The adults, and Jazz, argued with each other so much that they all ended up knocking each other out. Ms. Lucas was the only one left standing, having not gotten into the fight. Feeling comfortable Danny and Sasha stopped with the invisibility.

          "I had a feeling you were going to show up," Zoe sighed.

          "Ms. Lucas, you can't possibly agree with Danny using the suit," Sam protested.

          "I'm the only one who has a chance to save our lives," Danny told his friend.

          "From what you've told me, he's the only one who knows how to navigate through the Ghost Zone. And you might have a chance at controlling the power drain thanks to your ghost powers," Zoe reluctantly agreed with him.

          "Shouldn't Sasha and you go with him then. To make sure nothing bad happens," Sam asked.

          Sasha and Zoe shared a glance before looking back at the rest of Team Phantom Shadow.

          "Unfortunately, Sasha and I have more to lose if we were to go into the Ghost Zone," Zoe told them.

          Sam and Tucker registered at that moment what Ms. Lucas must have been talking about. Black Heart. They sadly nodded in understanding and turned to help Danny with the suit. That effort was paused when they noticed Valerie, in her ghost hunter gear sneaking downstairs to steal the suit for herself.

          "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to step away from the suit," Danny told her, stopping Valerie in her tracks.

          "Back off, spooks. I don't know how you got inside the Fenton's Ghost Shield but this is my fight," Valerie barked.

          "No, it's not. Not anymore," Danny replied.

          Sam and Tucker snuck out as Mr. Gray walked into the basement carrying some tools. He let out a gasp seeing two ghosts talking to what appeared to be a ghost hunter.

          "What's going on in here?" he questioned.

          "You're not the boss of me!" Valerie shouted at Danny.

          "Nope. But he is," Sasha said, ripping the hood of Valerie.

          "Valerie?" Mr. Gray gasped.

          "AAAAHH! You're dead for this, you hear me? DEAD!" Valerie shrieked.

          She went to attack Sasha but Mr. Gray pulled his daughter aside to talk. Taking the opportunity Sasha and Danny grabbed the battlesuit and using their ghost powers took it up to the roof.

          Up on the roof, Danny transformed back into his human form. Sasha stayed ghost as she helped Danny into the battlesuit and closed the hatch. She then joined Sam and Tucker as they watched Danny activate the suit.

          "Activate neural receptors. Initiate power up sequence," he rattled off. The suit lit up, charged with power. "Yeah, there we go."

          "Danny, please," Sam begged once again.

          "C'mon, guys. You didn't think it was always going to be as easy as shoving the Box Ghost into the Fenton Thermos, did you? I'll be back," Danny said, trying to lighten the mood.

          "Your mom used the word fatal," Tucker said.

          Danny looked down at his friends. Tucker and Sam looked their eyes begging her to stop him. Sasha looked away.

          "Guys, I'll be back. But… If there's anything you wanted to say to me now might be an excellent time to do it," Danny said, realizing that his friends might be right in thinking he might not make it back.

          Sasha's mouth opened and closed, not knowing the right words to use. Screwing a bit of courage Sasha flew up to the battlesuit and gently kissed the lid where she could see Danny's head. Danny blushed as if she had actually kissed him.

          "You're my best friend, Danny. The first person I've ever been able to connect with. I need you to come back, okay? Promise me you'll come back," she asked him. Danny gently took Sasha's hands in the battlesuit and held them close to the suit's chest.

          "I promise," he assured her.

          Harsh winds blew, causing the four of them to look up towards the sky. Red clouds formed together the face of Pariah Dark.

          "Humans! Hear my decree!" the cloud structure cried out.

          "Well, that's my cue. Tuck, I'll need you to drop the Ghost Shield on my way out, okay?" Danny asked of Tucker.

          "Okay. Be careful, dude," Tucker agreed, running off to take care of the shield.

          Sam followed after him but Sasha stuck around to see Danny off. Taking a deep breath Danny transformed causing the battlesuit to go through its own transformation, taking on Danny's ghostly coloring along with his emblem on the front. Sasha gave him a smile before Danny took off.

          "You can do it, Phantom!" Sasha cheered out so that the crowd below could hear them.

          "Phantom?" the crowd murmured.

          "That's right! Phantom! Danny Phantom!" Danny announced.

          Everyone cheered as they watched him fly out of the Ghost Shield that Tucker had temporarily knocked out.

          The encouraging smile disappeared from Sasha's face. With worry and guilt hitting her she headed back inside the Fenton's house. She was walking down the stairs, wanting to go talk to her mother when Vlad stopped her on the stairs. Her eyes narrowed, anger returning.

          "I'm surprised you decided to show your face around me so soon," she glared.

          "Please, allow me to explain," Vlad asked."

          "What's there to explain? You've made it pretty clear what's important to you," Sasha replied and tried to continue down the stairs.

          "I promise you that's not the case," Vlad said stepping in her way.

          Sasha's glare intensified. Vlad knew he was pushing it, and that if he wasn't careful Sasha would keep her promise of turning him into a casualty. But he also knew that if he was gonna continue to have a relationship with the Lucas' then he'd have to take the chance.

          "You have a minute before I blast you out into the Ghost Zone," Sasha granted.

          "It's true that in my quest for power in the Ghost Zone I unintentionally released the Ghost King. However, I swear on my life that I never meant to hurt you or your mother," Vlad promised.

          "But everyone else is fair game," Sasha scoffed.

          "Old habits die hard. Look… I have a complicated past, one which I'll tell you about in the future if you allow. After my last encounter with Daniel, I did as he suggested and took part in online dating. And while my intentions in doing so might not have been… pure, meeting your mother made me change my plans," Vlad explained. He saw Sasha soften a tiny bit at the mention of Zoe, though she still remained on the defensive. "Your mother brought me out of the darkness I secluded myself in after my accident. For the first time in years, I found myself truly connecting with someone. And when we were introduced, I found myself believing that perhaps I finally found a family that perhaps one day I could be apart of. A family of my own after decades of loneliness."

          "You expect this sob story of yours to trick me into believing you?" Sasha accused. She wasn't liking the similarities that Vlad's story shared with her life and her feelings towards Danny and her friends.

          "Believe me or not, my words are true. Part of the reason for me going into the Ghost King's domain was to protect you and your mother," Vlad said.

          "What? How is this protecting us?" Sasha questioned.

          "The ring and the crown would have given me control needed to tame the others. You told me during our excursion to the Baking Expo how the ghost attacks interrupt your life, how it would deter you from auditioning. Now I see just how much of an interruption it causes. I just wanted to give you and your mother security, and perhaps a bit more normalcy. Now, it is clear that I have failed," Vlad told her.

          Sasha was quiet as her racing mind slowed. Pictures of her friends and family flashing before her. Her mother, Sam, Tucker, Danny… Danny who had gone out to fight a battle he wouldn't likely win. He was going to die because she was too scared to step foot into the problem. Sasha shook. She couldn't let that happen.

          "If your words are true it appears that both of us have failed to protect the ones we care about," she said and turned to go back upstairs.

          "Where are you going?" Vlad asked.

          "To fix this," Sasha answered, not turning to look at him. "If you truly care about my mother than stay here and protect her at any cost. Even if it's from me."

* * *

          Back on the roof Sasha transformed and jumped off the building, floating down to the street below where Sam and Tucker stood. They were surprised to see her in her ghost form, but what surprised them the most was what she told them.

          "Get in the Specter Speeder, we need to pick up our army."

          Tucker and Sam didn't ask any questions. They got into the Specter Speeder and followed Sasha as she flew towards the Ghost Shield. Tucker deactivated a small portion of the shield as they got close. Instead of flying off into the Ghost Zone Sasha hung around the edge of the town which was outside of the Ghost Shield. When it went up all the ghosts that were hiding in the town should have been pushed out but Sasha knew they wouldn't stray far into the Ghost Zone thanks to Pariah Dark. Her assumption was correct as she found all of them hidden away in a newly abandoned building, sticking together out of necessity. Skulker stood as he saw them approach, unspokenly been appointed the ghosts representative.

          "I'm stepping into the ring. Phantom's at Pariah's Keep now so I need you all to arm up and get in the Specter Speeder," Sasha ordered. All the ghosts were a bit shocked with how Sasha was taking control of the situation that they didn't move. "Now!"

          Snapping back into the situation all the ghosts listened to Sasha and squeezed into the storage compartment in the Specter Speeder. With their army acquired Sasha phased into the Specter Speeder and let Sam and Tucker navigate through the Ghost Zone since they had been scooping it out with Danny. Sasha sat in the vehicle nervous, hoping that Danny was okay.

* * *

          With Sam and Tucker driving it didn't take long until they arrived at Pariah's Keep. The yard was filled with hundreds of skeleton soldiers, some of which Danny had taken out already. Sasha saw Danny take out a large pile of skeletons but in doing so weakened him. Seeing another hoard of skeletons getting ready to attack Sasha phased out of the Specter Speeder and sent an ectoblast their way, annihilating the group of skeletons. Danny turned and looked at Sasha in shook.

          "Sasha?" he said surprised.

          Sasha gave Danny a small nod before turning back to Sam and Tucker in Specter Speeder. "Release the others, then get out of here," she ordered.

          Her friends complied, opening the hatch and releasing the ghosts. Once all the ghost were out of the hatch Sam and Tucker flew back towards Amity Park.

          "How did they cram all of you into the Specter Speeder?" Danny asked.

          "Hey! Ever been insider your stupid thermos? Compared to that, it was the Taj Mahal in there!" Ember informed him.

          "I brought you here to fight, not snark," Sasha said, bringing everyone's attention back to the issue at hand.

          Skulker was happy to obey, weapons popping up from every conceivable place on his body before heading into the fray. Klemper and the Box Ghost teamed up to take on a group while Poindexter rode the Dragon Ghost into battle. Danny and Sasha fought close together, taking out groups using the battlesuit and Sasha's shadows. Ember took out a skeletal dragon with a power chord from her guitar and Skulker came in to smash another one. They all fought together, getting closer and closer.

          "You all stay out here and keep the army from getting inside while we go in to take out Pariah," Sasha gave ordered to Skulker and Ember who nodded. Sasha turned to Danny who was looking at her in awe. "You ready?"

          "Yeah, let's do this," Danny said, feeling more confident with Sasha beside him.

          Flying in the two heading straight into the throne room. Standing before them was Pariah Dark. Danny couldn't help but let out an angry groan, filling more of how the suit was weakened.

          "A little ragged round the edges, eh, child?" the Ghost King taunted Danny.

          "How about you shut up and we get to the part where we kick your ass," Sasha cut right to the point, hoping to distract Pariah Dark from Danny's current weakness.

          "Very well, I accept your challenge!" Pariah Dark replied.

          Pariah Dark charged at them. Danny put up a shield, stopping the Ghost King from directly hitting them. He winced, the battlesuit weakening him. Seeing this Sasha gathered up shadows and jumped out from behind the shield. She fired the shadows at the ghost, sending the king crashing back into his throne, destroying it. With the force gone, Danny dissolved the shield and fell to a knee, weakened to 40%. Sasha placed a concerned hand on the battlesuit's shoulder. Pariah got up, almost smiling at the sight of Danny.

          "Having that much power, it's a burden, isn't it child?" Pariah mocked.

          He threw his mace at Danny. Danny jumped away to dodge it but the mace had powers of its own and turned around, intending to hit its target. Sasha stepped in the way, making a shield out of shadows. She winced as the mace hit the shield, her stance sliding backward as the mace still tried to move forward towards Danny. Pariah Dark took this opportunity to kick Danny into a wall. Hearing how hard of an impact he had, Sasha lost focus allowing the mace to break through the wall of shadows. With its target already hit the mace turned to her, knocking Sasha back away from Danny and Pariah before returning to the hand of its master. Sasha's arms shook as she tried to pull herself up. Danny became angry as he saw a trickle of blood running down the corner of Sasha's mouth.

          "The power isn't the burden. The burden is how I use it. And I've been using it poorly lately," Danny said, his eyes narrowing at Dark Pariah. Pushing his body to the limit Danny produced three duplicates of himself, each on one side of Pariah. "Now leave our town alone!"

          Seeing what Danny was planning Sasha placed her hand on the ground. Shadows emitted from her palm onto the ground and traveled towards Pariah Dark. Before he could move she trapped his feet with her shadows. All four of the Danny's hit the ghost king with an ectoblast. Angered and still stuck in place Pariah Dark swung his mace, causing one of the Danny's to disappear. Having been distracted Sasha got up and used the shadows at his feet to blast upward, causing the ghost king to fall over. Down on the ground, the Danny's surrounded Pariah Dark and punched him. Pariah Dark retaliated by sending a blast at one of the Danny's making him disappear. Moving quickly Pariah Dark moved away from the two Danny's, standing in front of them and Sasha. Even with all the hits he took, the ghost king didn't have a scratch on him. Not closed in anymore Pariah got a hit on Danny's remaining duplicate, making it disappear. Danny sank to one knee again, feeling like he only had enough energy for one last push. Sasha flew in front of him protectively. She wasn't going to let Pariah get another his while Danny was down.

          "Surrender! You can't possibly win!" Pariah Dark commanded.

          "We don't have to win," Danny said. His hands charged up before firing a blast at the wall, revealing the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep.

          "We just have to make sure you lose," Sasha finished.

          As Danny went to fly over to the sarcophagus Pariah Dark intercepted him, sending a blast at him. Out of instinct, Danny put up a shield. His blast was blocked but the shield drained his energy down to 7%. Weakened Danny fell to the ground. He tried to get up but feeling so drained he couldn't. All he could do was watch in a haze as Pariah approached to finish him off.

          "Danny! Leave him alone!" Sasha cried out seeing her friend in danger.

          Calling upon her shadows she sent them at Pariah, wrapping them around his body to stop him from moving any further. It stopped the ghost at first but he slowly moved forward. Sasha struggled to keep her hold on the ghost king, determined not to let him anywhere near her friend. Teeth bared in a grunt and focused on the problem at hand she didn't notice as from the logo on her chest shadows began to creep. Danny's eyes focused on her, watching as the shadows consumed her, Sasha not attempting to stop them.

          In a burst of energy, Pariah Dark was trapped, the shadows not allowing him to budge. Confused as to what was going on he looked back. Standing before him like a shadow herself was the shape of the ghost girl he had been fighting. The shadows had consumed her body in darkness, erasing her white clothing altogether. Her logo and eye emitted a void black as her body emitted a dark aura. The light around her was absorbed, not being able to pierce through the area. Danny's already weakened, pale face turned a ghostly white. His friend was consumed and what remained was what he could only fathom as a reflection of the ghost everyone was fearful of beside the Ghost King. Black Heart.

          "It's time for you to go back to sleep," Sasha growled, her voice an octave deeper and the inside of her mouth as black as her eyes.

          Pariah's face morphed into one of horror as the shadows holding him slammed him into the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, his crown falling off from the sheer force. He tried to struggle out of the shadows grip but in her new form, the shadows were stronger, unmoving. Sasha sunk into the shadows beneath her feet before appearing next to the Sarcophagus. She looked angrily at the shaking Ghost King.

          "And don't worry your, highness," Sasha hissed. "This time, I'll make sure nobody disturbs you."

          More shadows slammed the front shut before hungrily wrapping themselves around the entire Sarcophagus. Sasha disappeared into the ground before popping up into the throne room. Specks of lights danced around Danny's eyes as he watched the walls around the Sarcophagus collapse, leaving Pariah Dark sleeping in a coffin that was triple locked with key, shadow, and rumble. Never again would it be open. With the enemy now defeated Sasha turned around, her void eyes staring surpassing the crown and landed on Danny. She slunk over to Danny, kneeling down and gently cupping the lid of the battlesuit where his face was. Barely conscious Danny was scared what this new Sasha would do but saw her blackened eyes show that of concern.

          "Danny," Sasha whispered.

          Believing that his friend was still the girl he knew, in that moment of peace Danny gave in to his exhaustion and passed out. Unconscious, Danny transformed back into his human form. The glow from his transformation triggered Sasha's own, peeling back the shadows to her human self. Hit with the weight of exhaustion from the fight and new transformation, Sasha followed in Danny's steps and fainted. The two half ghosts laid next to each other in deep sleep the crown sitting on the ground in front of them, it's shine reflecting the approach of a third half.

* * *

          When Danny and Sasha finally came to they were confused to find themselves waking up at the Fenton's house, next to each other on Danny's bed. Standing all around them was their friends and family. Valerie was there, all bandaged up with a cast on her arm, along with her dad. Vlad walked from Zoe's side to Sasha's side of the bed.

          "You two gave us quite a scare there," Vlad said to them.

          "Vladdie said he'd found you just outside the dump after the town flickered back to reality. He saved your lives," Jack explained. Danny and Sasha glanced at each other, knowing better than to believe what Vlad told their parents.

          "Things might have been weird there for a while, but if Vlad saved your life then I say bygones," Maddie smiled. Sasha noticed her mother relax at Mrs. Fenton's words.

          "And you will always be welcome in our home, V-man. You can stay in Danny's room!" Jack offered.

          "Too bad you lost your ecto-suit, Jack," Vlad lied.

          "That's okay, V-man. Those pants made me look fat," Jack brushed off, unbothered.

          Sasha pushed herself up so that she was sitting. Danny tried to get up out of bed entirely but winced in pain. Sasha helped Danny into a sitting position like she was in. He gave her a thankful smile in return. They had both suffered from the fight with Pariah Dark but knew that time and their healing factor would heal their wounds. Sasha looked down at her hands, remembering her shadow's take over. Remembering the darkness and how it felt good to be able to slip in, how much more powerful she felt. Sensing Sasha's distress Danny grabbed her hand, causing her to look up at him.

          His eyes spoke of pride and support. From their past conversations, he knew how worried she was regarding the shadows consuming her and becoming like Black Heart. And he was worried as well when he saw her dark transformation back in Pariah's Keep. But even with his vision flickering in and out he saw that even with a new scary looking layer she was still his friend. She was still the girl who fought hard to be nothing like her evil mentor. The brief moment of seeing the worry in her blackened eyes confirmed to him that she was still the same Sasha. Danny squeezed her hand, silently telling her that even if she still felt nervous about this new aspect of her that he was there. Sasha stared at him in surprise at first but that surprise morphed into a soft smile. She gently squeezed his hand back.

          There was a lot to figure out still. Sasha knew she needed to figure out more about this new side of her. Both Danny and Sasha knew that more needed to be touched on about Vlad and what he was up to. Though Sasha was already thinking of a plan. And they still needed to fill Tucker and Sam in on what happened at Pariah's Keep. But for now, perhaps they could take advantage of the moment of peace and get some rest.

* * *

 


	15. Tell Her

          The day recovering from their fight with the Ghost King was nice and peaceful. Sasha was pleased that she and Danny got some time off from the ghost hunting and got to have some nice conversations outside of that. Danny would ask her about her baking, favorite recipes along with if she discovered any new ones she wanted to try out. Sasha, in turn, would ask him about space and it's different constellations, knowing that he understood the science side and some of the stories the stars came with.

          It was nice. But Sasha wasn't naive, knowing it wouldn't last. Her nice break ended upon hearing that Vlad was planning on heading home the next day. Not wanting him to get away so quickly, Sasha told her mom how nice it would be for Vlad to stop by their house before he left to which Zoe agreed and promptly invited him over.

          Sasha waited up on the roof in her ghost form, watching for Vlad to come out of the Fenton's. There wasn't that long of a distance between the two houses, but she was determined to confront him before he could reach her front door. It was after lunch time that Vlad emerged, waving goodbye to the Fenton's as he left. Once the door was closed however Sasha took her chance, hoping off her roof and appearing right in front of Vlad. The man grabbed his chest in surprise.

          "Oh! It's just you, my dear. You're… quite good with the element of surprise," Vlad said, on edge. He was hoping he could get out of Amity Park without another confrontation from the ghost girl.

          "Years of experience," Sasha commented. "Here's the deal, Vlad. While I still don't trust you I'm not gonna go rat your secret out to my mom."

          "That is very kind of you," Vlad said surprised.

          "Because you're going to tell her yourself," Vlad went to protest but Sasha wasn't having it. "If you thought that I'd just let it slip by you're sorely mistaken. If you truly care about my mother, if what you said is true about hoping to have found a family you could be apart of, then you're telling her. Otherwise, I will."

          Sasha stared Vlad down, and even though he was taller than her the daggers she was sending his way made him feel extremely small. He was sent back to those moments the days before when she confronted him. The look in her eyes, she could kill him. And after seeing the end of her and Danny's fight with Pariah Dark, he knew she had the power to do so.

          All for her mother.

          Vlad nodded. Sasha backed off a bit, stepping out of Vlad's path and ushered for him to go on. She made sure he headed inside her house before going intangible and heading upstairs to her room, not wanting to make her mom suspicious. After changing back into her human form Sasha hung back, allowing Vlad a moment alone with her mom while also being in earshot to make sure he told her.

* * *

          Vlad gently knocked on the Lucas' door, feeling the most anxious he had in a while. He didn't want to reveal his ghost identity but he didn't want to lose Zoe. Vlad knew that if Sasha ended up telling Zoe than it would be the end. And the young girl wouldn't be gentle. Still, there was a fear that even if he told her he'd lose her anyway. He could only pray that wasn't the case. Zoe Lucas opened the door and smiled upon seeing her boyfriend.

          "Hey, Vlad," Zoe said reaching up and giving him a kiss, causing Vlad to relax a little bit.

          "Hello, dove," he greeted.

          "Come on in," Zoe welcomed.

          Vlad took up her offer and headed inside the house, slowly making his way into the hall.

          "Sasha is up in her room. I'll go tell her that you're here, after all, it was her idea for you to visit before leaving," Zoe explained, and went to head upstairs.

          "Before that, I was hoping to talk to you alone," Vlad interrupted, catching Zoe's shoulder. Zoe nodded and let Vlad usher her into the living room and over to the couch.

          "So what was it you wanted to talk about?" Zoe asked.

          "I've been keeping a secret from you. A secret that deals with a large portion of my life. Part of me was hoping that I would never have to tell you but recent events have convinced me otherwise," Vlad sighed. He opened his mouth to continued but nothing came out.

          "Vlad, you can trust me," Zoe encouraged.

          Sensing his nervousness she placed a gentle hand on his knee. Vlad looked down at Zoe's hand. She unintentionally made this harder.

          "It's just… I'm not sure whether it would be better to show you or…," screwing his courage Vlad took hold of Zoe's hand and looked her in the eye. "Zoe, my dear, I am half ghost."

          Zoe's eyes widened in surprise. Vlad himself waited, watching Zoe's face as she processed the information. He had felt her tense but she had yet to rip her hand out of his so it was going better than he expected. Upon seeing her eye refocus on his face Vlad himself tensed up.

          "Sasha found out didn't she?" Zoe questioned.

          "What?" Vlad asked in surprise.

          "You wouldn't have told me about a secret this big unless Sasha found out, and that's most likely because Sasha threatened to tell me herself," Zoe explained, having figured it all out.

          "You aren't frightened are you?" Vlad asked.

          "I'm… still taking it in. Would you mind telling me how, it, happened?" Zoe replied.

          Vlad let out a small sigh of relief after seeing that she was allowing him to continue the conversation. Still, the tension in the air had yet to settle.

          "It was during junior year of university. I was working on a ghost portal prototype with Maddie and Jack. We each had a fascination of that world and bonded over it. The structure was complete but I had my doubts, something about the calculations not being correct. Maddie discovered my doubts to be true but Jack, in his foolishness, activated the portal while I was standing right in front of it. The prototype overloaded, blasting me in the face with ectoplasmic energy. I was diagnosed with an aggressive case of ecto-acne and spent years of my life recovering in the hospital. It was once I was completely healed that I discovered the true side effect from the blast. My DNA had been altered from the ectoplasm, turning me into a half-ghost," Vlad explained.

          As Vlad finished, the living room fell to silence as Zoe took all his information in. Gentling removing her hand from Vlad's knee, Zoe sighed deeply and rubbed her face as if waking up. Vlad became nervous, his leg starting to bounce.

          "Would you care to see my ghost side?" he asked.

          "Another day perhaps," Zoe waved off. Another day, another sprig of hope. "So I'm guessing the accident is why you dislike Jack so much?"

          "So you noticed," Vlad muttered.

          "I believe my intelligence is high enough to pick up on how genuine your comments to Jack have been. I've also seen you tripping him," she replied.

          "I'm… trying to be better. Old habits tend to die hard," Vlad said.

          "If old habits die hard then let me ask you a question. When the Fright Knight grabbed Maddie and I, who were you referring to when you told him to let go of the woman you loved?" Zoe questioned.

          Vlad's eyes widened in shock. "How…?"

          "Like Maddie wouldn't have told me," Zoe said point blank.

          Her eyes bore into him, waiting for Vlad to answer her. For the first time in years, shame washed over the man as he bowed his head, not feeling the strength to look her in the eyes.

          "Both of you."

          Zoe nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. Panic set in as Vlad got up off the couch and knelt down in front of her. There was a moment where he debated whether or not to take Zoe's hand in his but decided against it. He wasn't one to beg but for this woman, he would.

          "Zoe, I promise you that with each day we've been together my affection for Maddie has evolved into something different. I believe I will always love her but it's becoming evident that will be out of friendship. It has taken me a while but I have learned it is futile to pine after a relationship that will never be. You've taught me that it's possible to love another person. Because I truly have fallen in love with you."

          Vlad waited, watching her eyes take all of him in. His position in front of her, his words, his expression. After a deep sigh, Zoe gently took his hand in hers.

          "Vlad, you fall fast and hard. With everything that's happened in my life I'm afraid I'm more so the slow and steady type," she informed him.

          "So you don't love me back," Vlad asked.

          "No," Zoe answered.

          His heart had shattered once before with Maddie. Now, Zoe's words had caused it to break once more.

          "I guess this means you never want to see me again," Vlad almost whispered.

          "You need to stop jumping to extremes," Zoe told him, causing Vlad to look up in surprise. "People fall in love at different rates and as I just told you I'm the slow and steady kind. And while your admittance to your ghost side has set me a bit on edge, I'm still willing to pursue this."

          A warmth spread throughout Vlad's body, the cracks in his heart repairing themselves. Overcome with emotion Vlad practically lept at Zoe, kissing her with a burning passion.

          "I love… You are an amazing woman, Zoe Lucas," Vlad said, before going in for another kiss that caused Zoe to laugh.

* * *

          From her spot hiding in the kitchen, Sasha leaned against the wall, having listened to their whole conversation in case things went south.

          "She sure is," Sasha said to herself.

          With the approval from her mother, Sasha would back off of Vlad. She was surprised that her mom was still giving the relationship a chance but that was her decision. Besides, she knew her mom would get out if Vlad started showing any concerning signs. And if that ever happened Sasha would be there to deal with him.


End file.
